The True Beauty Of A Withered Camellia
by ManekiKeneko18
Summary: Kiku's life has been anything but easy, after he is sold off to a brothel he must come to terms with his situation. Things start to change for the better when an estatic blonde with a big heart comes into the "Scarlet Peony" brothel. Will romance ensue?
1. Chapter 1

The True Beauty Of A Withered Camellia

Kiku Honda grew up in a small house on the outskirts of town; both his mother and father raised him up until the age of ten. His mother left in pursuit of a better life; one where her husband did not beat her when he was frustrated or drunk.

Kiku would try to avoid getting into confrontations with his father and tend to his mothers emotional and physical wounds the best that he knew how, but he also knew he would not be able to console her completely.

At times, Kiku would find himself thinking back to the past; back to when his father was gentle and loving. When he was an honest man working as a police officer up until the accident some five years before his mother left both him and his father.

Kiku's father had been in charge of the checkpoints that were set up in Tokyo, when he went to stop an individual to ask for papers he ran off only to have Kiku's father along with two other men on the force pursue him.

He was able to cut the man off in an alleyway and corner him, as he closed in the man pulled out a gun. As Kiku's father charged forward with his blade and pierced the man with his sword, the criminal's bullet did the same to his body, hitting him in the leg.

The result of the bullet was a permanent limp which unfortunately cost him his job and later his calm demeanor.

At first, Kiku's father tried to make the best of a bad situation, attempting to find another acceptable job, only to end up carrying crates shipped in and out of the country. He even broke down and made the decision to accept the money his brother offered him.

After a while, he would stop for an occasional drink after his work was done for the day; an occasional drink turned into two, then three, and then the entire bottle.

After about half of a year, Kiku and his mother only saw the 'head of the household' every so often, and when they did, he was red faced, incoherent and stumbling over himself with the bitter sweet smell of rice wine on his breath.

As the years passed, Kiku and his mother grew accustomed to the beatings, the fighting and the cold exterior of the man they once cherished as a great father and husband. Shortly after one of the most violent beatings which left Kiku's mother bed ridden for days; she packed her things in the dead of night and left only a note stating the reason she left with an apology and a small hair pin that she used to wear.

Kiku was heart broken and at the same time angered by his father's foolishness, but what could he do? Kiku pent up his frustration and tried to go on with his life, even though he knew what was in store for him.

Ten years passed by like the seasons, changing rapidly and with hot and cold emotions coming from his father. Kiku did his best to try and maintain the home when he wasn't reading from a book to improve his English or math skills or cooking for his father.

Kiku kept himself tucked away inside of the house, partly because he was afraid of what his father would do if he were not there to welcome him home when he returned from his binge drinking, but also because of the bruises and welts on his skin and against his soft pale skin.

After Kiku's mother left, the only person left to lash out at was Kiku; and so the beatings began. At first, Kiku tried to run; act as if he wasn't there, but after awhile he just let his father do it so that he wouldn't have to spend his nights huddled over in a darkroom peering around the corner waiting for the next attack.

It was as if his body had become numb every time a kick was delivered to his chest or a fist to his stomach. Kiku's father began to calm down a little when he began betting on Hanafuda games.

At first, Kiku was relieved to see his father's aggression slowly subside, "Maybe he will start to act a little like his old self," Kiku thought to himself. In later months, Kiku noticed that items from the household were disappearing, it was small trinkets at first, his mothers remaining accessories, coins.

But then it began escalating. Paintings, clothes, anything that was worth something. Knocks could be heard at the door at all hours of the night; collectors from the bars his father would gamble and bet at coming to claim their money.

They became more persistent; threatening to hurt Kiku's father, eventually the pressure led to one bold decision. As a seventeen year old Kiku is preparing dinner for when his father returns there is a knock at the door.

Kiku wipes his hands and heads for the shoji and slides it open, " Honda residence how may I help..." two muscular men force their way into the house taking Kiku completely by surprise.

Muffled screams can be heard coming from Kiku's now covered mouth, "Stay quiet," one of the rugged men said. He slowly removed his hand from Kiku's mouth, "W-Who are you?" Kiku asked softly as he trembled ever so lightly.

"You could call us businessmen collecting our 'payment'," said the other man standing next to the door. Kiku looked confused at first before realizing what they had meant, " Y-You mean my father...?" Kiku started.

"Yeah, the pathetic bastard offered you up to save his ass. So now you're coming with us," said the man kneeling next to him.

"Where?" Kiku asked hesitantly. "Where else but a brothel?" laughed the man over by the door. Kiku's heart sank, "B-But I've done nothing wrong, why are you taking me?"Kiku asked as tears began to stream down his cheeks.

"What are you stupid? We just said that you're the only collateral your old man had left," the man over by the door said harshly.

"I-I see..."Kiku said in an soft almost emotionless voice. The man standing over by the door looked Kiku up and down, " At least you're old man had enough common sense to offer you up, I wouldn't mind testing out the merchandise before taking it to Yoshiwara," the man smiled slyly as he licked his lips.

Kiku averted his eyes from the man and tried to move away into the corner of the room, "Alright, we've wasted enough time... let's take the kid and get out of here,"the man kneeling next to Kiku said calmly.

"Stand up," ordered the man. Kiku quickly obliged and made his way to the rickshaw outside and got in. The men sat next to him and gave the runner his destination; Kiku was off to a new setting, one that he had never known.

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><p><strong> This is a new story I came up with about two weeks ago, it's as accurate as you can get, (the time line, the settings, even the places) I hope this story turns out well ^_^ <strong>

**Some things I want to point out:**  
><strong>Yoshiwara- Famous Red Light District in Edo andor Tokyo, Japan**  
><strong>*Meiji Period- (1868-1912) This story takes place during the mid Meiji Period all the way up to the Taisho Period (1912-1926)<strong>  
><strong>Hanafuda-Card game originating in Japan.<strong>

**Please Review and Enjoy!**


	2. Chapter 2

The True Beauty Of A Withered Camellia: The Beginning of Hardships

As Kiku peered off to the side, he noticed that he was steadily approaching a string of shops that lined the street. Being that Kiku was raised on the outskirts of town, he did not know his way around the inner part.

Kiku looked around at all the different people and things, slowly trying to grow accustom to his new life. The rickshaw came to a halt as the two men beside of Kiku stepped out first; one of the men held out his hand to Kiku to help him down before escorting him down the street.

Kiku went back to looking around; the buildings' exteriors were painted vibrant hues of Auburn and deep reds as the sun set in the sky. Lights began to flicker on as they passed each building, music could be heard from inside of buildings as men rustled through their bags looking for money.

Kiku began to look very worried as he made his way deeper into the new terrain; he heard the calls of men both native and foreign, they glanced at his body and motioned with their eyes; Kiku could see a spark of lust coming from them all.

Just as Kiku began to think his walk of embarrassment and self-consciousness would never end, he approached the brothel that he was to spend his time paying off his father's tremendous debt in.

He looked up at the sign above the establishment, "Scarlet Peony," Kiku said quietly under his breath; Kiku took a deep inhale in and slowly made his way into the establishment.

The lights inside were deep in color and dimmed the entire inside of the building except for the small stage towards the back and the small tearooms saved for important customers.

Smoke from cigarettes billowed from booths surrounded by men holding their cups of rice wine and gin in their hands as they watched a delicate brunette perform on stage. Kiku walked past the customers, through a sheer Plum colored curtain and began walking up a set of stairs to the second floor.

With each creak that the steps made, he felt himself becoming more uncomfortable; he began thinking about other things. _What if I'm purchased to night…or the next night? What if someone hurts me? What if none of the other men are willing to help me? _

Kiku's face was straight and his throat was dry, he tried to hold his head high as to indicate he was not afraid, when in truth…he was terrified. Another shoji screen door broke the silence as it slid open into a room decorated with sensual colors.

The floor was covered by a mixture of thick tatami mats and wooden floor boards, while the shoji around the room were decorated with images of cherry blossoms in full bloom on spider like branches and scenes of water softly cascading down the side of rocks.

Small paper lanterns stood on their wooden legs painted in shades of Red; after looking around the room, Kiku finally set his eyes on the "Peonies".

They were all beautiful and eccentric in their own way; he was sure that a few of them were foreigners. In the nearest corner, he saw a small framed man adorned in a salmon pink kimono that was decorated in intricate patterns of opened paper fans and small blossoms awakening from their shells with a persimmon colored obi around his waist.

In the middle he saw two men, the first in a deep indigo kimono decorated with a fish pattern and maroon colored obi (which contrasted beautifully with his wavy blonde hair and blue eyes.) The second in a jade green colored kimono adorned with small dragonflies and a golden obi around the waist.

The other men were spread in different areas of the room taking small sips of their green tea or off in different rooms with customers. Kiku let his body relax slightly as he slowly walked a little farther into the room.

"So, you must be the newest one?" said a voice both bold and mature. Kiku turned his head to face the person he had heard. In front of him stood a man just as beautiful as the others, or maybe the right word was elegant.

Kiku looked at him; his hair was as black as the feathers from a raven, while his eyes shone with an Amber hue, his skin was as pale as the moon and as smooth as porcelain from what Kiku could see. The man's hair was pinned up into a beautiful ofuku hairstyle which was adorned with golden combs and an abundance of floral hairpins.

What the man lacked in stature (considering that he was about as tall, if not a little taller then Kiku) he made up for in poise, radiance and skill. It could be interpreted easily through his clothing in which he was adorned in a long kimono that was as black as his hair; the pattern was that of small golden flowers speckled across the surface, almost as if they were stars floating in the infinite night sky and paired with a golden obi as well.

The outer layer he wore draped softly down to the ground, it was colored a brilliant shade of burgundy. " Well, what is your name?" the man asked with soft tone. Kiku looked down and softly murmured the words," My name is...Honda...Honda Kiku," with that said, he bowed deeply and looked up slowly.

"There's no need to be so timid, that's how you'll get taken advantage here... hmm.. let me get a better look at your face," he signaled for Kiku to come closer with his hand.

Kiku moved forward and glanced out of the corners of his eyes to avoid eye contact with the intimidating beauty in front of him. The courtesan looked on in curiosity as he looked at the young man in front of him, _So delicate..._he thought to himself. _Such a slender neck...and that soft skin...he'll be bought immediately if I put him amongst the regular prostitutes. _The courtesan thought to himself, and he finally came to a decision.

Kiku looked at him confusedly as his amber eyes gazed back into his dark brown ones, "I've decided what I'll do with you," the courtesan looked at Kiku with an almost unnoticeable smirk.

"I've looked at your face and body thoroughly enough to know that you have great beauty, and with that potential. Because of this, I will place a high price on your body; this entire establishment can benefit from the likes of you," said the courtesan.

Kiku's eyes widened slightly as he heard the words come from the man standing opposite to him. Kiku suddenly felt his chest get tight, and felt his head swimming, he came back to reality as the courtesan spoke once again.

"Eat, rest and get acclimated with the others, for soon you will be made into every man's dream; you should be happy that this is your fate instead of having to dirty those beautiful hands of yours in some farmer's field," the courtesan remarked sharply as he left the room.

Kiku was at a loss for words as he stepped back as he heard the shoji close in front of him, and with it he felt a part of his freedom escaping with the small gust of wind that was pulled through the door as it shut just seconds earlier. Kiku collapsed to his knees and began to sob gently letting his emotions finally get to him, he didn't know what was going to happen to him and that frightened him.

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><p><strong>Hey. Sorry this story is so late, there's been so much going on in school, I haven't had a chance to type that much. But I finally finished part two! Okay so there are a couple of definitions I want to get out there so here it goes:<strong>

**Ofuku- A type of hairstyle, also know as a "split peach" hairstyle**  
><strong>Obi- the sash that's tied around the waist while wearing the kimono (It's also said that long ago, if a women were to wear the bow towards the front, that meant she was a prostitute.) (Go figures right? ^_^)<strong>

**Well that's about it for now, I'll try to get started on part three since I have a little time, thank you for reading and please rate, I really do appreciate the comments. Thanks again! Enjoy!**


	3. Chapter 3

The True Beauty Of A Withered Camellia: The Transformation Of A Chrysanthemum  
>As the night faded away it was replaced by the beginning of a new day, Kiku awoke to the sound of whispers and soft laughter; he blinked a few times so that he could adjust to the light shining in through the lattice window.<p>

He could hear those around him chime in again with different questions and statements, "Where do you think he came from?" "He is really delicate looking" "What do you think his story is?" Kiku sat up from his futon and gazed at the men surrounding him.

They moved away, slightly embarrassed from crowding around him, "G-Good morning..." the man with the wavy blonde hair started before pausing. "Honda...Kiku Honda..." the small framed male said as he looked down towards the ground. "Good morning Kiku, my name is Francis Bonnefoy, I am pleased to meet your acquaintance," the French man smiled softly as he moved a little closer.

The others sitting to either side of Francis followed his lead and slowly but surely began introducing themselves one by one. "Hello Kiku, my name is Feliciano Vargas," the brunette smiled. The other men quickly introduced themselves before returning to their duties.

As strange as it sounded, Kiku was a little more relaxed, knowing that he had one less thing to worry about when it came to those around him. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the shoji sliding open to reveal a man carrying a tray filled with food, "Breakfast..." the man said in a low mumble before placing the food on the tables in the room and turning to leave.

The men gathered around the tables so that they could partake in that mornings breakfast, miso soup, mackerel, steamed rice and tamagoyaki, "Let's eat," the men around Kiku said before rising their bowls closer towards their mouths to take in small amounts of rice and egg.

Kiku did the same as he began to eat, after he finished he placed his chopsticks on top of his empty bowl in front of him and looked down,"Gochisousama," the small male said as he stood up from the table and began to pick up the empty dishes to take them to the same man who had been standing in the door way just a little earlier with a full tray of food.

After breakfast had concluded, the day seemed to lag on, not that that necessarily bothered the young man; knowing that he would be spared from the hungry eyes and wondering hands of the brothel's patrons for at least a few more hours.

Just as Kiku began to sigh a breath of relief, he could hear some one coming up the stairs, the voice he heard echoing from the stairwell sounded calm, yet bold. He thought to himself as to who the person could be, "It must be..." before Kiku could finish his thought the shoji slid open to reveal the refined courtesan who he had talked to just last night.

_What does he want with me? _Kiku thought to himself before moving back slightly, "Ah, I see your already up, shall we get started then?" the raven haired man asked in a sly tone. Kiku turned his head slightly," S-Started with what?" he asked unsure of what the courtesan was talking about.

"Well," the courtesan said as he took a long inhale from his pipe and blew a stream of smoke into the air, "You didn't think you'd be coming here for fun did you? You are here in order to pay off a debt, you are now the property of the Scarlet Peony... you are my property," he said with another inhale from his pipe.  
>As the smoke dissipated, the courtesan moved towards Kiku and placed his hand around the younger male's small wrist, "Come with me, we must get you ready for this evening," the courtesan escorted Kiku downstairs and through another hallway into the bathing chambers.<p>

" Shiori...Ayame... I need the two of you to help bathe and groom Kiku for tonight," the courtesan said before turning to leave. "Oh," the courtesan stopped outside of the shoji, "And your new outfit will be waiting for you in the next room over, I think you will find it to your liking," the courtesan said before sliding the door shut.

Kiku looked down before looking at the two men in front of him; he was taken aback for a moment when he realized who they were, "F-Feliciano?...and...Francis? What are you two doing down here?" Kiku asked. "We were told to help get you prepared for tonight," Francis replied. "W-Why did he call you two Shiori and Ayame?" Kiku asked.

"Well that's one of the things that we had to get used to when we arrived here, although the customers know that we're simply dressed as women, it's customary to give all of us female names so that our customers will not feel as awkward when purchasing us," Francis replied.

Francis smiled softly, "You'll probably be getting a name very shortly as well," he said as he began washing Kiku's back before he got into the bath. Kiku slowly slid in as he let his shoulders rest delicately above the tinted water.

"So what will I be expected to do?" Kiku asked timidly as he looked over towards Feliciano and Francis; they both looked over at him giving the small male a slightly sarcastic look, " I mean... other then...that," he said softly as he began to sink under the water a little.

"Well," the Italian man began thinking, "Since you're new...maybe "Mistress Yao" will let you serve the customers drinks, or maybe she'll make you perform on stage like me," Feliciano said with a small smile.

"Don't worry mon ami, both Feliciano and I will watch over you to make sure you'll be alright," he smiled before helping Kiku out of the bath and drying his hair and his back, "Alright, now we have to get you dressed and put on your make up," Francis said cheerfully.

The two men escorted Kiku to the next room over; it was a small room that was darkened by the walls which were colored an old mauve tone. The light was minimal, but enough to see a low to the ground vanity mirror with different materials on top of it, brushes, glass bottles filled with scented liquids, rouge and powder.

"Alright, Feliciano help me get Kiku into his kimono after I finish doing his hair, you can work on his make up," Francis said as he had Kiku sit down in front of him as be began to comb through his hair.

"Your hair is so soft, that alone is something that the men will fawn over, along with your smooth skin and delicate features...I can see why Mistress Yao finds you so valuable," Francis said as he began to pin Kiku's hair and add small decorations to accentuate the style.

"Valuable..." Kiku said softly as he looked at his reflection in the mirror _How can I live a life like this from now on? Is this all I am destined to be? _Kiku thought to himself as he stood up so that he could be dressed by Feliciano before returning to his sitting position to have his make up applied.  
>When Feliciano and Francis were finished, they took Kiku back upstairs so that he could rest for a little bit before the courtesan returned to see what Kiku looked like now that he had been transformed into an irresistible beauty.<p>

Later on in the early evening just hours before the doors of the Scarlet Peony were to open, the courtesan could be heard coming up the stairs, "Well, where is he? Let's see how he looks now," the courtesan made his way into the room in which the other men surrounded Kiku taken aback by his radiance.

The raven older raven haired man parted them so that he could see the work that had been done on Kiku; it was silent for a moment before the courtesan spoke, "It's...flawless..." he said as he took a long inhale from his thin pipe. "You need a name to match your beauty... I will call you...Tsubaki, because your beauty rivals that of even the most delicate camellia.

"Now you will be ready for tonight...think of the money your beauty along with your virginity will bring . Now, come with me, we need to attract more customers... you will stand at the very front until this brothel is filled to capacity with wanton men who will throw themselves at you," the courtesan laughed softly as he ordered those around him to start opening up the brothel.

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><p><strong>I'm so sorry for the long hiatus, with graduation and other things, I ended up getting pulled away from the computer, but I was finally able to finish up chapter three, an there's still more on the way I promise! <strong>

**A couple of definitions I'd like to go over really quick:**  
><strong>Mon Ami: French for 'my friend' <strong>  
><strong>Gochisousama: Commonly said after finishing a meal<strong>  
><strong>Tsubaki: This is Kiku's "other name" while the brothel is running at night, it ties into the title because Tsubaki means camellia in Japanese.<strong>

**And as a side note, the chapter's name "The Transformation Of A Chrysanthemum" also relates to Kiku since his name means Chrysanthemum. ^_^ **

**Thank you for continuing to read (If any ones still reading after the long hiatus T_T) If you are thank you! Please continue to review.**


	4. Chapter 4

The True Beauty Of A Withered Camellia: The Life Of A Peony

As the sun set in the distance, Yoshiwara came to life once again, drawing in it's usual patrons for their night of pleasure. Kiku could see passers by looking at each shop attempting to find the best establishments. He secretly prayed that they would pass the establishment he now worked in.

To his dismay, those around him would immediately be pulled in by his effeminate looks and soft demeanor, "My... what a beautiful person," men would say as they entered the Scarlet Peony with eyes honing in Kiku's small frame.

Kiku tried to avoid eye contact as more and more men made there way into the establishment, when the courtesan thought there were enough customers, he told Kiku to go back upstairs and wait until he called for the young male.

Kiku obliged and went upstairs and back into the room with the other prostitutes to wait for the inevitable. Seconds turned into minutes and minutes turned into two hours, he was curious as to why no one had purchased him yet, not that it really upset him.

Before he could sigh a breath of relief he heard the shoji open as the courtesan walked into the small room once again. "Come down stairs right this minute," the courtesan said in a stern voice as he grabbed Kiku by his slender wrist and guided him downstairs into the main room.

"It's seems as though no one wealthy enough has come around to be able to purchase you...I bet you are ecstatic about that..." the courtesan said in a dry tone. "Well since it seems that you will not be purchased, I should at least put you to work as a server...here," the courtesan said as he handed Kiku a round wooden serving tray and sent him into the kitchen to pick up the food to bring back out for the customers.

Kiku made his way through the doors and returned with a tray of alcoholic beverages and one order of gyoza for an entire table of men. Kiku approached slowly as he heard the boisterous laughter from the table in front of him.

He swallowed hard as he walked closer and placed the items on the table, "Here is your order...t-thank you for waiting," Kiku said timidly as he went to turn. Before he could move away he felt a hand glide across his back, "Where's such a pretty little thing like you tryin' to run away to in such a hurry?" the man asked.

"E-Excuse me, but I have other tables that I must serve, so I must be on my," Kiku was interrupted by another one of the men, " Now now...are you tryin' to say that we're not as important as them? Now that hurts..." Kiku looked on a bit weary of the men.

"No that isn't what I meant..." Kiku tried to explain before he was interrupted again, " You can make it up to us by stayin' here and havin' a drink with the lot of us," the man said as he held up a drink towards the small framed male in front of him.

"I-I'm very sorry, but I cannot...I have to keep working, I hope you'll understand...please excuse me," Kiku went to bow apologetically. Before he could ascend from his bow he felt a large hand around his waste pulling him closer.

"Sorry to break it to ya, but I don't think we'll be takin' no for an answer," the man said as his once soft looking eyes turned harsh and pierced into the small Japanese male's dark eyes. "Now come here," he barked as he tried to pull Kiku in closer. "Please, no...I...I said I cannot!" Kiku raised his voice slightly.

"Damn this one's a little stubborn... I said sit..." before the man could finish his sentence a guard's hand came down in front of the section of table that was unoccupied by dishes, "I think it would be wise to leave this worker alone," the courtesan said as he took an inhale from his pipe.

"Just who do you think you are?" one of the other men asked as he looked up at the courtesan. "The owner of this establishment; you mustn't be that foolish?," the courtesan said in a sarcastic manner as he turned his nose up slightly.

"Now wait just a second," one man started as he went to stand from his seat, hands sprawled out on the table, "If you think I'm gonna let some man dressed up to look like some tart insult me you got another thing comin'!"

"Hmm, It's funny how you try to insult me by calling me a "man dressed up as a tart" when you in turn come here to purchase these "over dressed tarts"that are just like me, if you don't like it then why don't you leave?" the courtesan said slyly.

The man went to grab for the courtesan when he was stopped by the guard, "Ryota, kindly escort these four men out of the establishment," the courtesan said as he turned his back to walk away. "M-Mistress Yao..." Kiku said softly under his breath.

The courtesan stopped with his back still facing Kiku, "You will go up stairs and refrain from serving for the rest of the night," the courtesan said. "T-Thank you for saving me from those men," Kiku said as he bowed.

The courtesan took another long inhale from his pipe before speaking again, "Saving you? It had nothing to do with saving you, you would have lost all worth if I had let those men continue on with their actions... just consider yourself lucky," the courtesan replied coldly.

"Always causing me trouble..." the courtesan said under his breath as he began to walk away. Kiku looked around the establishment to see the eyes of the other patrons on him; questioning the events that had just transpired. He blushed softly before turning to make his way back up the stairs to the small room where he slept.

As the hours passed by once again, things began to slow down for the night as it came to a close; it was now five o'clock in the morning as the lights outside of the lattice windows could be seen shutting off as the patrons flocked from the brothels back onto the street to return back to their homes for another day until the sky was darkened again by the night.

Kiku slept on his futon, tired from only the first night of many that would be filled with unnerving and stressful events that would make him feel even more helpless than he already did, the only thing he could hope for was to be spared from having to dirty his body in order to pay off the tremendous debt his father had created.

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><p><strong>Sorry for the delay, here is the newest chapter, there is still more coming ^_^ <strong>  
><strong>*gyoza: dumplings (just in case you didn't know) ^_^ <strong>

**Thank you for continuing to read, please review 3**


	5. Chapter 5

The True Beauty Of A Withered Camellia: Memories Of The Peonies 

Kiku's eyes fluttered opened hours later only to be greeted by the rays of light creeping in through the intricate designs of the lattice window. The sun had risen again and with, it the immense fear that in the later hours of the day, his body would be purchased and defiled by some stranger he had never even met; he shuddered at the thought.

He cleared the sleep from his eyes as he stretched out his body and slowly made his way out of bed so that he could put his futon away. Once done with that task he made his way to the bathing chambers, he casually walked downstairs through the hallway and into the small room where there were a few other men.

"O-Ohayou gozaimasu..." Kiku said softly as he stripped to reveal his soft, pale frame; after he cleaned himself properly outside of the bath, he slid slowly into the water, savoring how warm it was against his flesh. As he let his shoulders sink below the water he let his head tilt back so that he could close his eyes and relax.

_This is all still so surreal, what am I to do? _Kiku thought to himself as he sighed deeply before letting his eyes open to look up at the ceiling. He heard someone entering the bath next to him, he slightly turned his head to see who it was.

"Oh, good morning Francis.." Kiku said with a small smile crossing his face. "Good Morning Kiku...are you alright? I heard about what happened with those rowdy customers last night," Francis said with a worried look on his face.

"I-I'm fine, I was just a little scared about what might have happened if Mistress Yao had not intervened," Kiku said as he looked down into the tinted water with a small pink blush running across his face form embarrassment.

"Ve~ It's alright, no need to feel embarrassed...I remember one time when I was performing one of my dances, a drunk man tried to grab me from off of the stage. So in a way... I know how you feel," Feliciano said as he made his way into the water.

"Oh, good morning Feliciano," Kiku said as he moved over to allow them more room inside of the bath. "That is very unfortunate that something like that happened to you, I'm sorry," Kiku said before becoming quiet.

Francis broke the silence, "Kiku, if you don't mind me asking...how did you end up inside of the Scarlet Peony?" Francis questioned softly. Feliciano looked towards Kiku with a look that urged him to go on, "Well...things were fine at home in the beginning...I had a good family, we lived on the outskirts of town but we were a quaint, prosperous family..." Kiku said before he stopped for a moment.

"My mother," Kiku said softly before pausing as all of the painful memories came to the surface. He exhaled softly before continuing, "My mother remained at home with me when I was growing up...my father...he was an officer in the police force around the area where we lived," Kiku said before pausing again.

"He...was so honest and hard working, he loved my mother and I so much...he was constantly praised for his good work and efficiency when it came to keeping people safe...that is...before he..." Kiku stopped as he felt his throat tighten a little bit.  
>Francis and Feliciano looked at each other before looking back at Kiku, "Before?" Francis asked quietly. Kiku looked straight ahead so that he was looking at the faded mural decorated with images of mountains surrounded by clouds.<p>

"Before the incident..." Kiku said in an almost inaudible voice. "Incident?" Feliciano questioned as he moved a little closer to better here Kiku's voice which had no doubt ably become smaller to mask the sadness that could be heard throughout each word he uttered.

Kiku sighed before continuing, " Well, from what one of his close friends on the force told my mother and I, he was working at a checkpoint where people where coming into Tokyo...later on in the evening a man was asked to show proof of his papers so that he could get past the checkpoint. The man at that point decided to run," Kiku said.

"Well...what did your father do...?" Francis asked gently. Kiku continued on with his story, " My father, being the strong willed man he was decided to pursue him in an attempt to capture him," Kiku paused for a minute waiting for one of the two men next to him to chime in with another question.

As if on cue, Feliciano turned his head a towards Kiku again, " Did...he catch the man?" he asked. Kiku nodded softly, "Yes, my father cornered him and tried to ask him why he had gone so far as to run off for something as simple as papers, the man over reacted and pulled out a gun..." Kiku said as two gasps were emitted from the men sitting next to him.

" Your father...did he?" Francis asked while he looked down into the water with a saddened expression. " No, he did not die... in fact, he survived...but he ended up loosing his job because of the man when he was shot in the leg...he's had a permanent limp ever since," Kiku said as he fiddled with his fingers under the water.

"Oh...I'm so sorry to hear that..." Feliciano said. Kiku shook his head from side to side, "That isn't even the worse of it I'm afraid," Kiku said as he looked back up towards the ceiling. Feliciano and Francis turned their heads ever so slightly in curiosity waiting for the young male to continue.

"He...eventually found another job, it was something menial but it was enough to keep him going and bring home money so that food could be put on the table. But I think that it really got to him that he had fallen so far from what he was acclimated to...I could see the dismay in his eyes..I never thought things would go as far as they did..." Kiku looked down into the water again.

"At first, things seemed as if they were staring to look up again after he had finally been able to walk around again after having been confined to bed for months. When my mother and I heard sometime later that he had found a job working at the docks we were happy for him," Kiku said.

"Every once in a while, he would come home a little later than usual, my mother and I thought nothing of it, but as time went on, he began coming home later and later. It was to the point where we would be lucky to see him before the sun would rise," Kiku said with an almost expressionless look on his small face.

Feliciano and Francis looked at him worriedly and noted how his entire demeanor had changed within the past couple of minutes since he began his story. "Well, I guess lucky was no longer a term that could be used to associate our brief reunions with him... I remember that he always reeked of alcohol and he was so red in the face," Kiku said before he paused for a moment.  
>"My mother and I finally figured out where the money for the household was going...down his throat," Kiku said quietly. "One night, when my mother attempted to address him about this, both her and my father ended up getting into an argument about it, when my mother wouldn't be silent after he had ordered her to...something in him must have just snapped...that was the first time I saw him hit my mother," Kiku said as he could feel tears beginning to well up in his eyes.<p>

As he did his best to subdue the tears, he looked up at the ceiling and continued to speak, " After that moment..two things happened... the beatings began...and I never saw my father in the same light again. My mother and I tried to remain silent to avoid conflict, but to no avail...as time went on the beatings became more severe...the last time it left her bed ridden for days on end," Kiku said as he blinked a little to get the tears to subside.

Francis and Feliciano were taken aback by the story that Kiku told them, they sat there silently as he continued on. " After I nursed her back to health, she proceeded to runaway leaving behind an apologetic letter and her only son...I hold no resentment towards her though, in fact...I wish her a happy life... one much better than the one she had previously with my father," Kiku said sincerely.

"I took the place of my mother, I cooked the meals, cleaned the house and even put up with my father's beatings, all in the hopes...that maybe one day he would come to his senses and stop his behavior. Sadly that day never came and I had to learn hope to cope with him...over that years I had just remained by his side," Kiku said sighing deeply.

It remained quiet for a moment while Kiku reflected back to the last couple of days before he was brought to the brothel. "Then...I noticed a change in his demeanor and mistook it for him changing for the better and so I thought nothing of it...slowly but surely, things began disappearing from the house, small amounts of yen, the remains of what my mother left behind, artwork... eventually there were collectors at the door in the middle of the night almost every evening," Kiku said while gazing up at the ceiling almost as if caught in a trance.

"That leads me to the reason or why I am here...one day...about a couple of days ago in fact, there was a knock at my door. I foolishly answered and two men rushed in and said that I needed to come with them," Kiku said softly.

"When I had asked why, one of them said that my father owed a tremendous debt to a local gambling establishment and that he either needed to pay the collectors or be prepared to face punishment, the only thing he had left as collateral that was of any value...was me," Kiku said as he looked down at the water before destroying the smooth water's surface with his tears.

Kiku tried despratley to hide his tears from his two friends, "I'm sorry...I don't mean to cry. Please forgive me," Kiku said in between sniffles. Francis placed a hand on Kiku's shoulder, "I am so sorry chéri...that is such a sorrowful story..." Francis said as he continued to console Kiku while Feliciano wiped away his tears.

After a few minutes, Kiku calmed down and made his way out of the tub with Feliciano and Francis following behind him. They dressed in the next room over and made their way back upstairs to eat breakfast. After they were done, they sat amongst each other and conversed about many things, what customers they remembered the most, how they had learned some of their talents like singing or dancing among many other things until Kiku asked a certain question.

"Oh...I never had the chance to ask the two of you...how you ended up here in the brothel...I mean...if you don't mind me asking each of you," Kiku said as he blushed a little. "Not at all mon ami," Francis smiled as he began his story first, "Well it all started about four years ago when I came here by boat back in 1905. Back then I considered myself a passionate young artist looking for my inspiration," Francis said while laughing a little.

"I wanted to make my mark in this beautiful country...accept...being the type of artist I was, I never had that much money on me and so I borrowed the money to create more artwork hoping to become so well known that I would easily be able to pay off the people I had borrowed from in the first place," Francis said as he peered at the sunlight that was beaming against the opposite wall from the lattice window.

"Unfortunately things didn't work out that way, and I later found out how powerful the people I borrowed the money from were. They were the "wrong type of people" and I wasn't given a lot of options.

"What were your choices?" Kiku asked. Francis smiled softly thinking back to that moment in time, "Well I could of either worked off my debt at the Scarlet Peony or had my body disfigured by them, so not wanting to be subjected to such torture, I chose the brothel and well here I am now," Francis said as he finished his story.

"Well, what about you Felicaiano?" Francis asked the small Italian. "Aren't you going to tell him your story as well?" Francis asked.

Feliciano nodded, "Sì. It all started about two years ago when I traveled here to Japan with my brother Romano, we had originally come here just to explore for a short period of time before returning back to Italy together. We ended up staying at a small home for a couple of months while we did odd jobs around town to stay afloat until we had enough money to get back to Europe by boat. At the end of the third month, we had enough money for the boat back to Italy and then some," Feliciano said in a cheerful voice.

"But something came up, just when we were starting to pack up the little belongings we did have, we were approached by the person who owned the home that both Romano and I were staying in while we earned money. Out of the blue, he said that something of his had gone missing and that we must have had something to do with it and that he'd let us go if we just paid for it with the money we had on us," Feliciano paused for a moment.

"If that's not a ruse, I don't know what is..." Francis said quietly. Feliciano nodded in agreement before continuing on with his story, " My brother Romano was furious that this man would even think of accusing us and so he rebelled saying that the man was a liar who was just trying to line his pockets. Well the man didn't seemed too pleased because he threatened to go to the police about the matter stating that, "No one in their right mind would believe the foreigners" and with that, my brother decided that we would leave for the next boat which was supposed to come later that night around 6' o clock in the evening," Feliciano went on.

"We were fine getting out of the house until we noticed the light from the opposite end of the road, it was the owner of the home who had returned with an officer. He pointed us out, and before I realized it, Romano was pulling me behind him as we began running for the boat which was making it's way to the dock. We were almost there when Romano tripped giving the officer and the other man the advantage of catching up to us, they apprehended the two of us and began questioning us," Feliciano said as he stared at the pattern on the wall in front of him. " Later on that same night, the owner of the house made us an offer, he said that if one of us would be willing to stay behind and pay off the money in the Scarlet Peony brothel...the other one would be able to return home. At first mio fratello wouldn't allow it, but I was able to re-assure him that I would be alright...somehow," Feliciano said as he smiled a little.

"Romano didn't want to leave me in a foreign land, he wanted to stay with me...but why should both of us have to be put through this?" Feliciano asked before continuing his story. "After begging and pleading him to go with the agreement that I'd write him and he'd write me and send as much money as he could back to Japan for me, he returned to Italy to work hard to earn the money to give to me so that I can return one day," Feliciano said softly with a tinge of sadness in his eyes and voice.

"But...at least...I met the two of you...my two amici," Feliciano smiled again. When they heard voices coming from outside of the window, they stood up and peered through it, the sky was already starting to show hints of pinks,deep reds and oranges. _Had we really been talking that long?_They all thought to themselves before seeing the lights start to turn on all over the strip watching Yoshiwara resurrect itself once again to start the cycle over again.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, this was one of the longest chapters to date! I'm so tired T_T I've been up since last night and I just finished this chapter around 5:25 am so please enjoy this one ^_^ <strong>

**Ohayou Gozaimasu- Good morning (Japanese)**  
><strong>Mio Fratello- My brother (Italian)<strong>  
><strong>Amici- Friends (Italian)<strong>  
><strong>Si- Yes (Italian) (Well even I know I didnt need to put the def. down for this one lol everyone knows what Si means but whatever ^_^) <strong>  
><strong>Cheri- Darling (French) <strong>

**On another note, I know people are waiting to see the first signs of some Ameripan and I can re-assure you it's coming SOON I just want to make sure everything is covered in the story to make it really good. (That takes time lol) But when Alfred does come into the story I promise it will be worth the wait! Oh, and here's some extra info I thought I'd mention since I never had a chance to fit it into the first chapter of the story. **

**Just incase any one is wondering:**  
><strong>Kiku was born in 1892 in this story and was sent off to the brothel when he was 17 years old in 1909. <strong>  
><strong>And the only info I'm willing to give you about Alfred with out spoiling the story is that he was born in 1889 in this story. ^_^<strong>

**Thank you for continuing to read and as always, please review, I appreciate the comments. Enjoy~**


	6. Chapter 6

The True Beauty Of A Withered Camellia: A New Haven 

Yoshiwara was awake and bustling, people moved into their usual spots around the strip eagerly pulling out their money to purchase another body for the evening. Kiku was somewhat relieved knowing that Mistress Yao wouldn't ask him to help out a lot downstairs for fear that the same incident would occur again.

Kiku sat and waited for one of his two friends to come back into the small room when they weren't busy entertaining downstairs, serving, or pleasing their customers. Kiku sighed as he sat by the lattice window and watched the people pass by. After a few moments of silence, Kiku heard the shoji slide open to reveal the guard that had played a part in saving him from those rowdy men.

"The Mistress wanted me to come up here to see how you were managing...everything looks fine, so I guess I'll leave you to what you were doing," the guard said as he went to leave. "W-Wait!" Kiku said softly. The guard stopped and turned to look at the delicate male sitting a couple of feet away from him.  
>"I...I never had the chance to thank you for saving me from those men a couple of nights ago, I don't know what I would of done if both you and Mistress Yao hadn't intervened," Kiku said shyly. "You don't have to thank me, it's my job to guard everyone in this establishment," the guard said in a firm voice.<p>

"Y-Your name is Ryota...right?" Kiku asked. The guard nodded, "Yes," he replied. "If that is all then I'll leave you to what you were doing," the guard said before moving towards the door once again. "W-Wait...If...you aren't too preoccupied...would you like to stay here and talk? I know you're a guard, and I wouldn't want you to get in trouble because of me but..." Kiku said sheepishly.

The room was silent for a moment while the guard thought to himself before answering Kiku's question, "Well business has slowed down enough, I guess it'd be okay but only for a little bit," the guard said as he closed the shoji and made his way over towards Kiku.

When he sat down, he looked at Kiku again to get a better understanding as to why those men from a couple nights ago were acting so crazy over this boy. Kiku focused his attention back to the guard and saw that the guard's eyes were focused directly on him, "W-Would you like some tea? There is plenty in the kettle on the table," Kiku said as he looked down slightly to avoid the bigger man's dark eyes.

At first the guard didn't know what every one else saw in this boy, but after seeing him clearly for the first time in the last couple of days that he had been here...he was beginning to see why people acted the way they did. Although the guard didn't want to admit it, the boy was beautiful...he could see why The Mistress put a high bid on his body, he looked so fragile almost as if a single out of place touch could make him break.

The guard was snapped out of his thoughts by the sound of a small lacquered cup being placed in front of him and the small framed male taking his seat on the opposite side of him. "It's really hot, I hope it is to your liking," Kiku smiled gently. _Even his smile... _the guard thought to himself as he properly thanked Kiku for the tea.

Kiku and the guard spent the next fifteen minutes or so holding a small conversation in which Kiku told the guard how he ended up at the Scarlet Peony brothel among other things. The guard only mentioned a little about himself, knowing that he could not build a close relationship with a prostitute.  
>In the middle of his sentence, Kiku was interrupted by the shoji opening as prostitutes began returning to the small room. The guard looked back at Kiku, "Well, I should be going now," the guard said before standing and making his way to the door and closing it behind him.<p>

Kiku smiled as he left, "It's nice to know that I don't have to be afraid of the guards here," he said as he placed the cups to the side and took out his futon so that he could ready himself to sleep within the next couple of hours. "Kiku, you're still awake," Feliciano said as he came into the room and began changing into his nightwear so that he could go to sleep.

"Hello Feliciano, where is Francis?" Kiku asked. Feliciano thought about it for a moment before speaking, "I think he is with one of his last customers, after that he'll probably go down to the bathing chambers to get cleaned up before coming to bed, you don't have to worry about him," Feliciano said reassuring Kiku as he pulled out his futon and placed it next to Kiku's before laying down.

"Feliciano..." Kiku said softly. "Yes?" Feliciano replied. "Do you ever get tired of having to be inside of the same four walls every day?" Kiku asked. Feliciano nodded before answering, "Sometimes...there is so much outside of this building and I can only see as far as the buildings across the way from the windows," Feliciano said as he let his eyes close softly.

Kiku seemed content with the brunette's answer as he allowed his head to rest gently on the pillow before letting his eyes shut. As the hours passed, Kiku thought about his home, _What had become of it since he had left? What happened to his father? Why did he even want to know what happened to his father after what he had done to him? _All of these thought's raced through his mind as he lie sleeping.

Kiku awoke to the moonlight pouring into the lattice windows as he heard movement from the right side of the room, he sat up slowly and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He tried to identify the blur moving closer to him, "Francis?" Kiku said in a whisper. "I did not know you were still awake...did I disturb your sleep with my movements? If so I apologize," Francis said softly.

Francis placed his his futon on the opposite side of Kiku and preceded to lie down facing Kiku; the small framed male looked closer at Francis' face before letting a small gasp escape his throat. "Francis...what happened?" Kiku asked worriedly. Francis lightly touched his own cheek, "One of my customers was a little rough with me, it's okay I've had my fair share of these type of incident, don't worry about me, I just need to cover it with make up in the morning," Francis said as he smiled gently to reassure Kiku.

Kiku tried to at least pretend to smile before turning around to face Feliciano who was in a deep slumber. _Is that what will happen to me?_Kiku thought as he touched his own cheek letting his fingertips brush against his porcelain smooth flesh. He sat awake for a while before finally letting himself relax enough to fall back asleep.

The next day when he awoke, the room was lively as men were cleaning and re-arranging items all around. These men were not the prostitutes, but instead workers that were meant to keep the establishment in a presentable state. Kiku put his futon away and took his outfit with him so that he could head downstairs to the bathing chambers where he promptly cleaned himself off, bathed in the water and then readied him self for another day spent upstairs looking out of the window from upstairs.

As Kiku made his way back down the hallway, he saw Francis walking in his direction; he stopped before making his way up the stairs, "Francis...are you okay?" Kiku asked. Francis looked at him and smiled sincerely, "Yes, I told you I just needed make up, please don't worry about me so much...I'll be fine," Francis said as he made his way to the bathing chambers and through the shoji to the smaller room were he sat to apply his make up.

Instead of heading back up the stairs, Kiku waited patiently for Francis to come back out of the room; when Francis approached him, his mark wasn't even noticeable, "That's amazing," Kiku said softly. "How were you able to hide the mark so efficiently?" Kiku asked curiously. "I've been here for so long, it would be odd if I didn't know how to do this," Francis laughed softly as he made his way back towards the stairs.

Francis touched his cheek again, "I just wish my customer wouldn't have done this last night, it'll make the outing less enjoyable," Francis said as he pouted lightly. Kiku turned his head slightly, "Outing?" Kiku asked. "I never had the chance to tell you did I?" Francis asked. "Well, here at the brothel, outings a very rare, we as prostitutes are lucky to venture outside of these walls...but Mistress Yao is generous enough to let us leave with the guards on some occasions," Francis said happily.

"I wish I could leave," Kiku said as he made his way back through the shoji. "That's a little soon isn't it? Didn't you just get here?" a bold yet soft voice questioned him from a distance. "Kiku turned his head to see the Amber eyes of the courtesan looking at him as he took a long inhale from his pipe. Kiku's face became flushed when he realized that Mistress Yao had heard what he had just said.

"Oh, I didn't mean to offend your establishment, it is just that I rarely ventured outside before I came here, so it is as if I am a bird that has been moved from one cage to another," Kiku said as he bowed to apologize. A small smirk appeared on his lips before disappearing as he inhaled from his pipe, "So now you are a bird?" the courtesan said slyly before laughing ever so lightly.

"I-I'm sorry," Kiku said with his eyes focused on the ground. The courtesan was quiet for a moment as he stood in the entrance to the room, "You are of no use to me right now anyways, no one can afford you, and you make my customers act insane," the courtesan coldly. Kiku seemed hurt by the words a little before he heard him speak again, "Shiori, make sure Tsubaki doesn't do anything foolish when he's with you and try to make sure Ayame stays out of trouble; sometimes he can be so gullible," the courtesan said as he started to leave the room.

"One more thing, you are to be back here promptly at five o'clock before we open the doors to the Scarlet Peony so that I can go over something with you...Tsubaki," the courtesan said as he closed the shoji door behind him and made his way downstairs.

Once Francis and Kiku were sure that Mistress Yao was gone, they began talking about what they should do. "What is outside of these walls Francis? I've only seen it once and that was in the middle of the night," Kiku said while peering outside of the lattice window.

"As long as I've been here, it still feels like the first time I'm allowed to venture outdoors every time Mistress Yao lets me leave the brothel because it's so rare to have this opportunity," Francis said with a smile on his face.

"Well we should probably be leaving soon," Francis said. "Who else besides you, Feliciano and I are going?" Kiku asked as he turned his head slightly. "This is the best part, it will just be the three of us, there are restrictions to how many of us can leave and that number just happens to be three," Francis said as he went to the small chest in the corner of the room. Kiku watched him intently as he scavenged through the box until he held in his possession a small pale green colored book. "What's that?" Kiku asked with curiosity. "It's one of my favorite books that I brought with me when I first came to Japan, it's also my means of keeping my valuables hidden. You must promise me that you won't mention it to anyone else," Francis said as his blue eyes locked with Kiku's dark eyes. "I promise..does that mean I can't even tell Feliciano?" Kiku asked. "He already knows and has promised me that he will not say anything," Francis replied.

Kiku nodded, "I promise that I won't say anything," the small frame male said as a small smile creased his lips. "Good," Francis replied as he tucked something on the inside of his obi. After everything was taken care of inside of the brothel, Kiku, Francis and Feliciano set of into the streets of Yoshiwara for the day with the guards following behind them.

As they ventured outside, Kiku's eyes squinted in an attempt to get used to the sunlight, which he had normally seen only through the delicate lattice windows he stared out of each passing day and night in an attempt to feel free from the burdens of a life lived inside of a brothel.

As he walked he began passing small shops that sold small things like candles, postcards, hair clips and necklaces. They were pretty, but they didn't really interest him that much; he passed by shops with small parasols and charms. Francis and Feliciano were in front of him glancing at different things for sale outside of small markets that were tucked in between other establishments.

Kiku casually strolled past until something caught his eye, he stopped and turned to look in the window, there was a small gray book decorated with cranes on the front cover. He continued to stare at it, _It looks so beautiful _Kiku thought to himself.

Ahead of Kiku, Francis was deciding on where the three of them could get something to eat at a small stand just outside of the district, "So Kiku, would you be alright with eating there?" Francis asked. When there was no answer Francis turned around, "Kiku?"he said as he saw the small framed boy standing by a window peering in curiously at something. Francis made his way back to where Kiku was standing to see what it was that he was so enthralled in.

"Why did you stop so suddenly?" Francis asked Kiku as he broke the small framed male's concentration on the object in front of him. "Francis...I-I'm sorry...I didn't mean to stop, this book is just so pretty and I couldn't help but glance at it," Kiku said shyly as he looked to the side a little.

"You don't have to apologize mon ami, if you like something why not look at it?" Francis asked as he focused in on Kiku's face as the young male looked back down at the book in the window.

Francis was silent a moment before he spoke, "Do you want it?" Francis asked softly. Kiku nodded, "It would be nice, but I have no money," Kiku said slightly disappointed. "I am willing to buy it for you, consider it a token of our friendship," Francis said. Kiku's eyes widened slightly, "I couldn't let you ...I," Kiku was interrupted by Francis, "It's okay mon ami, here...let's go inside," Francis said as he walked into the shop and went to the front to ask the old woman behind the counter how much the book in the window was.

Francis nodded to Kiku to bring the book over; as Kiku obliged he couldn't help but feel lucky to have friends like Francis and Feliciano who had been so welcoming to him. Francis purchased the book and led Kiku out so that they could make their way over to the stand just a couple of feet away. "Francis," Kiku said softly. "Yes Kiku?" Francis replied. "Thank you so much, you didn't have to do this for me...I promise I can re-pay you when I finally...start earning...money," Kiku said as his soft smile faded when he thought about the inevitable. "Non Kiku, please don't worry about it, I have plenty to spare," Francis said as he laughed.

"You do? How?" Kiku asked. "Well you didn't think I'd let the Scarlet Peony take all of my money from me did you? It's mostly what little money I had left when I first came here plus some tips that gracious customers slid on the inside of my kimono before they left," Francis said.

"That is also why I said you mustn't tell anyone about my valuables and where they are hidden, if anyone besides you and Feliciano found out, who knows what would happen to me," Francis said.

"Oh and that's one other thing, try to keep the book out of view of the others and Mistress Yao, at least until you've been here for a while. Mistress Yao would probably question you on how you got that book, and for the tiem being when we are with the guards for the remainder of the day, place the book inside of your kimono sleeve or inside of your obi and towards the back," Francis said softly.

"Thank you," Kiku said as he obliged by placing the small book on the inside of his obi and towards the back. Both Kiku and Francis quickened their pace to catch up to Feliciano and the two guards who had been casually talking with one another. All three of them made their way over to the stand where they talked and ate a small lunch before making their way back to the Scarlet Peony brothel.

When they made their way back inside, they promptly went upstairs and back into the small room where Francis suggested that Kiku place his book inside of the chest until late that night so no one would see it. Kiku returned back downstairs to see if he could find Mistress Yao, _I wonder what The Mistress wants with me_Kiku thought to himself as he looked around the room.

Kiku looked towards the stage where he saw a beautiful kimono that was folded and sitting atop a chair. The small framed male glanced in both directions before making his way onto the stage and lightly touching it. He smiled gently when he felt the silk brush his fingertips, "It's so pretty," he said quietly.

"I'm glad it's to your liking...you will be wearing it after all," the courtesan said coldly as he made his way towards the spot where Kiku was standing. "W-What do you mean Mistress Yao?" Kiku asked hesitantly. "In the last couple of days, I've been trying to come up with a way that you will finally be able to benefit me until some one can finally purchase you...you will entertain on stage with Ayame. Is that understood?" the courtesan asked as his amber eyes glared at Kiku's dark brown eyes.

"What am I going to do? I cannot dance like Fel...I mean Ayame or play an instrument," Kiku said softly. "You do have something," the courtesan said as he took a deep inhale from his pipe and then blew the smoke into the space around him. "What do you mean Mistress Yao?" Kiku asked unsure of what he was talking about.

"It's not as if I don't pay attention to you...I've heard you in the bathing chambers..." the courtesan said. Kiku blushed softly, "T-The bathing chambers?" Kiku replied. "Yes, I've heard you singing in there when your alone," the courtesan said as he began to move closer.

"Y-You have?" Kiku asked. The courtesan nodded before continuing, "Because of this, you will be onstage with Ayame starting tonight, he will play and you will sing," the courtesan said as he made his way towards his room in the very back of the establishment.  
>Kiku couldn't believe what he had just heard, <em>The Mistress wants me to perform in front of all of those men? What if the same thing happens again and they try to take advantage of me? <em>Kiku thought to himself as he took the kimono to the room in the back before returning to the bathing chambers to clean himself up.

After he had finished bathing and putting on his kimono, make up and perfume he made his way back to the front of the establishment to wait for any other demands Mistress Yao might snap out. Feliciano came from the bathing chambers dressed in the kimono he used when he was entertaining patrons. Kiku looked at the differences in their outfits as they were undeniably so.

Feliciano went over what the two were to do while preforming on stage, "Don't worry, it's a little scary at first but I promise it will get better over time. All you have to do is sing these songs through out the night, do you know them all?" Feliciano asked as he handed Kiku a small list.

Kiku scanned over the list quickly before replying, "I think I do...when my mother was around...she used to sing these to me to pass the time before my father would come home," Kiku said quietly. Feliciano looked down for a bit before placing a hand on Kiku's shoulder and speaking again, "Why don't we go over them for the next hour or so to make sure you'll be okay on stage?" Feliciano suggested.

Kiku nodded, "I think that would be wise," he said before letting a small laugh escape his lips. As the hour went by just as quickly as it began, patrons started to flock into the Scarlet Peony for the night and as soon as they would glance at the stage, they would be completely infatuated by the small framed beauty known as "Tsubaki."

As the night progressed, Kiku and Feliciano played on beautiful song after another as men in the booths and table could be heard calling out their names and lightly cheering for them when they had finished each song.

After the performance was completely over, the courtesan came onto the stage and stood directly in between the two of them as he raised his voice ever so slightly to get the attention of the men. "Who here enjoyed the performance of these two?" the courtesan asked. All of the men cheered in response to the courtesans answer.

"Who would like one of them for the night?" the courtesan asked. Almost all of the men spoke up or raised a hand to show that they wanted to be the one's to sleep with the two delicate boys. Two men sitting off to the side focused in on Kiku's slender body and placed a bid on him but to no avail along with most of the other men in the establishment cries of, _What? He's worth that much? That's more then I'll ever make..._could be heard all over the room.

Many of the men gave up bidding on Kiku and instead turned their attention towards the small brunette sitting next to him. The bids started out gradually low and worked their way up to a good 880 yen, the final bidder was a well built man with a brown flat cap on his head, a white shirt that was buttoned up to about his collar bone, a pair of brown pants and black suspenders that held them up.

Kiku looked at him for a moment, he had noticed that the man was obviously a foreigner, he wondered what he was. He had seen his eyes briefly when he approached the state to pay for Feliciano and speak to Mistress Yao about him very quickly, they were an Icy blue while his hair was slicked back and blonde.  
>The young man looked over to glance at Kiku for a moment, he wore a somewhat stern look on his face; he turned back towards the stage to grasp Feliciano's hand so that he could take him to one of the rooms.<p>

Before the two were completely out of Kiku's hearing distance, Kiku heard the man speak, "Was für ein schönes gesicht haben," the blone man said to Feliciano as he led him upstairs into one of the many rooms that were decorated in soft, sensual decore.

Kiku was given permission to head upstairs and back into his room shortly after Mistress Yao returned to the stage. He slid open the shoji, entered and closed it behind him. He eyed the small chest in the corner, knowing that it contained a possesion of his now. He wanted so badly to open it, but he knew he must wait until after everyone has gone to bed.

Instead, he sat at the table with a cup of tea and admired pattern of the lattice window before letting his eyes close slightly. While Kiku lie resting in the corner of the room, Feliciano was experiencing something completely different, his body was being explored by the hands of a wanton man of German desecent.

***********************************************************************************  
>The mans lips brushed against Feliciano's smooth elongated neck as his large hands held the Italian in place. Everyonce in a while, a soft moan would escape the German's mouth as he would move on to a new area of the smaller male's body."W-Wait, you...never told me... what your name was,"Feliciano said in between small moans.<p>

"My name, the blonde said in a low voice."It's Ludwig," he said as he began undoing Feliciano's kimono to reaveal the rest of his slender body,"Schön..." the German man said as he pressed light kisses onto Feliciano's stomach. Feliciano slowly undid the buttons of Ludwig's white shirt and unhooked the suspenders as Ludwig took off his hat and undid his pants which were already tight from a mixture of arousal anticipation.

"Is there anything... you want me to do for you?" Feliciano asked as he blushed and looked to the side slightly. "Ja, when I tell you to do something, respond with, "Yes, Herr Ludwig, is that understood?" the German asked as he began preparing himself before taking two of his fingers and then placing them in front of Feliciano's mouth.

Feliciano turned his head slighly, "Suck," the German said sternly as he looked into the small Italian's eyes. "Y-Yes...Herr Ludwig," Feliciano said as he placed the German's fingers in his mouth and began coating them sensually taking his time as those icy blue eyes stared down on him with pleasure.

"Ja, that's it," the German said with a lust filled voice as Feliciano ran his tongue up and down the German's long fingers. The German snapped out of it, "That's enough," he said in a serious voice.  
>"Yes Herr Ludwig,"Feliciano said as he obliged by taking his mouth from around the German's fingers.<p>

The German slid one finger into him at first, a moan could be heard from the small male under him; after a brief pause to wait for Feliciano to get adjusted, the German added yet another finger and began to move them around inside of the ring of muscle attempting to loosen him up.

After a couple of minutes feeling around, the German heard the young male under him moan loudly as he bucked his hips forward. "Oh...H-Herr Ludwig..." Feliciano panted as his body still twitched from the surge of pleasure he had just felt.  
>"Was ist das? Do you want more?" the German asked in a lustful tone. "Y-Yes," Feliciano said softly as he bit down lightly on the ti of his own finger. "Yes...what?" Ludwig asked. "Y-Yes...Herr Ludwig," Feliciano said as he breathed shallowly.<p>

"How bad do you want me?" the German asked. "Very bad..." Feliciano said before letting another small moan escape his lips. This aroused the German to the point to where he wanted to proceed, the blonde stroked himself a couple of times before lining himself up at the Italian's entrance and sheathing himself completely inside of him.

Both males let out moans; as the German began to move he began slowly and gradually sped up his pace until he was thrusting inside of the brunette. "So tight," the German said through clenched teeth as he continued pushing in and out of the young male as he heard loud moans and cries of pleasure making their way out of Feliciano's mouth.

"Ah!...H-Herr Ludwig..It feels so good. Please, I want more...please," Feliciano said as his arms wrapped tighter around the blonde's thick neck. The German changed the younger male's position so that he could move even deeper inside of him; at that moment he hit Feliciano's special bundle of nerve's that caused him to cry out even louder than before.

The German smirked as he pushed back into the exact same spot mercilessly as the male panted and called out his name. "H-Herr Ludwig...I don't know how much longer I can last," Feliciano said as he felt an odd sensation in the pit of his stomach. The German pushed in relentlessly as Feliciano held him closer until he could no longer endure the sensation. Feliciano let himself orgasm in between their stomachs, the German pumped in and out of him a couple more times before reaching his climax and letting himself spill inside of the small tan male.

"Mein Gott …" the German said as he let himself ride out the rest of his orgasm alongside Feliciano; afterwards he proceeded to get dressed, give the small male a tip and head back downstairs to leave the Scarlet Peony brothel for the night.

Feliciano lie on the soft futon looking up at the ceiling for a moment before picking up his kimono and placing it back on his body so that he could go downstairs and ask Mistress Yao if he could refresh himself in the bathing chambers and go upstairs to retire for the evening since the evening was once again coming to an end as daylight would soon illuminate the sky.

***********************************************************************************  
>Kiku was lying awake already covered by a blanket with the futon comfortably under him as he held the book that he had recieved yesterday close to him, flipping through the blank pages. <em>Now I have somewhere to keep my peace of mind... <em>Kiku thought to himself as he wrote his name in the corner first before returning it to the chest and drifting off into a peaceful sleep knowing that now, something would act as an attestaion to the life he was to lead from now on.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, you know how I said that chapter five was the longest chapter to date? Not even close ^_^ Now it's chapter six! Which I have just finished officially at 1:59 AM. Even though I originally started it on Friday night, I just couldn't keep my eyes open and had to save it and get some well needed rest. <strong>

**But as soon as I woke up I turned on the computer and got to work. (And even though I've just finished chapter six, I'm going to start on chapter seven after I'm done filling this portion out so that it can be posted hopefully by tomorrow afternoon or evening, I would say morning, but I don't know if I have it in me to pull another all nighter) ^_^ **

**Also, to make up for not showing Alfred yet, I've included some GerIta fanservice (sex ^_^) as a sort of present. **  
><strong>I hope everyone enjoys that!<strong>  
><strong>Time for definitions: <strong>  
><strong>(German)<strong>  
><strong>Ja: Yes <strong>  
><strong>Was ist das?: What's that?<strong>  
><strong>Was für ein schönes Gesicht haben: What a beautiful face you have<br>Schon: Beautiful  
>Herr Ludwig: Mr. Ludwig<br>Mein Gott: My God  
>(French)<br>Mon ami: My friend**

**And now what you've all been wating for, the first signs of Alfred are coming in chapter seven!^_^  
>This will also be the point where I switch from the Meiji period into the beginning of the Taisho period.<strong>

**Thank you for reading, and please as always review. Thank you again. Enjoy~**


	7. Chapter 7

The True Beauty Of A Withered Camellia: The Beginning of Something New

Time had passed by since Kiku had arrived at the Scarlet Peony; days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months and so on. The seasons continued to change whether anyone cared to pay attention or not. Kiku had spent his time on stage with Feliciano or serving patrons again since it had been a while since the incident involving the rowdy men occurred. Three long years to be exact, in which emotions of happiness, frustration and sadness were all experienced.

Kiku had remained pure throughout the three years that he had already spent there, the price on his body was too high for most patrons, and so he remained untouched to his own relief. Over the last couple of months, Mistress Yao had lowered the price for Kiku in an attempt to attract more customers into the establishment.

Kiku spent his free time writing in the journal that he kept hidden away in the chest; underneath Francis' belongings. Whenever he turned the page filled with writing to see yet another blank piece of paper ready to be filled with his aspirations and worries among many other things, it made him feel at ease.

It was something that he awaited near the end of every night, when the other men would go to sleep;he would already have his journal and pencil tucked under the covers so that no one would see. As soon as he was sure that everyone was asleep, he would place the small book in front of him right under the lattice window so that the moonlight would shine down and act as his light.

Once he was done, he would put the book back in it's rightful place to wait until tomorrow night to do the same thing; he had become so accustomed to this that it was systematic. Throughout the years many things had happened, Kiku would always write down the day's events.

_October 10__th__ 1909  
>It's been three months since my arrival here at the Scarlet Peony, at first I was so scared, I felt as if I would be cast aside by the others around me and only given attention from wanton men who desire my body.<em>

_I had the great fortune of meeting two men who have been so kind to me, for that I am grateful, if not for them, would I have been consumed by the new world I had been introduced to so long ago?I wonder..._

_Mistress Yao has yet to find a patron who is willing to pay for me, I am glad that The Mistress considers me to be a valuable asset, if it were not for that, I would no longer hold my purity. I still fear what is in store for me, eventually someone will purchase me...but what will I do? I have no way out._

_January 1st 1910  
><em>_It looks as though the old year has come to an end and has been replaced with a new one, business around the Scarlet Peony has slowed down considerably, although we've received a few people here and there, this is no where near as busy as it usually is...I am glad._

_Tonight, Osechi are being prepared by the workers in the kitchen, it has been so long since I've had one._

_We all enjoyed a nice bowl of toshikoshi soba on the last day of the old year last night, it was __nice, I remember when my mother used to make it...sometimes I wonder where she is now. Is she thinking about me? Is she happy?_

_Mistress Yao allowed some of the men out to go to the shrine for the first time in the beginning of the new year, it was cool outside though. I made a small prayer, that I would be spared from anymore hardship. If I could at least have that...I would be content._

_The last few days of December were spent replacing old shoji and placing the tatami out to air, the bell can be heard even from Yoshiwara. One hundred and eight times...I wonder if my fathers sins will be cast off..._

_I hope that this year will be a little better than last year, with out sounding selfish, I hope to leave this place._

_March 22nd 1910  
>Things have been peaceful around here, I have been performing with Feliciano on stage ever since last year, and still no one has purchased me; but I have noticed that the stern looking foreign man keeps returning. He always purchases Feliciano, when I asked him about this in the bathing chambers, he said something about the man hailing from a country called Germany.<br>_  
><em>At least if I were to be given away to a patron, I could only hope that he we as handsome as that man. Though I wish not to think about if that were to happen.<em>

_On a happier note Mistress Yao has allowed the men along with the guards to attend Hanami today, I am so happy. I have only seen sakura once in my life time...and that was long ago. We've been provided with sake and beautifully arranged bentos from the workers, Francis and Feliciano are getting the rest of their items to take with them for the day._

_I must end my entry on this note, the others are getting ready to depart, today will be very interesting._

_July 1st 1910  
>This will be a short entry, as I am to perform again with Feliciano for a large crowd of men who have just come into this country from another far off country called England.<em>

_I have read about the country in books before when I was younger, they have a queen. I've seen pictures of the beautiful dresses that the women were wearing, and the way men dressed so dashingly. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to wear Western clothing. It would look a little odd would it not?_

_The weather here hasn't been that nice lately, ever since June it has been raining a lot outside, it is boring to look out the window and see only gray skies instead of the vast blue skies that I admire so much more._

_November 12__th 1910  
>The weather had gotten cooler, it is a significant change from the almost unbearable heat and humidity of August.<em>

_Today was an interesting day, we were allowed to leave to participate in Momijigari, the leaves __were so beautiful, the shades varied from golden yellows to vibrant reds. We sat and ate lunch underneath the trees and drank tea, to me there is nothing more relaxing than a hot cup of tea on a cool Autumn day._

_I brought a leaf with me so that I could place it on this page as a reminder of the good time I had today, it will serve as a memory of my time spent outside of this brothel._

_As the years passed, Kiku gained more insight to those around him, he grew brighter each day as his looks became more refined. His beauty became almost impossible to rival as he grew older. _

_February 11__th 1911  
>More men have been looking at me, I cannot help but notice, this face and body can sometimes be nothing more than a burden to me.<em>

_I've received a small present from both Feliciano and Francis, they truly are two amazing friends, they have gone out of their way to celebrate my birthday with me. I appreciate it so much._

_I do not know if it was coincidence or pure luck that I do not have to perform tonight, maybe it has something to do with me turning another year older? Whatever the case maybe, I will take the leave of absence I have been given to rest. On that note, I will end my entry._

_April 20__th 1911  
>Ryota had to escort two men out of the brothel tonight, they were acting as if they had no other objective but to kill one another.<em>

_It was obvious that they had consumed a lot of rice wine, too much of something never is a good thing. They seemed so violent, I hope that they were at least able to find their way home with out trouble._

_I must stop writing, I hear someone coming up the stairs._

_June 29__th 1911  
>I am writing, but not because of something good. Feliciano is unable to move around, he has been ill for the past week and is not in the same room with the rest of us. Instead he is farther down the hall...he must be so lonely. I wish I could speak with him.<em>

_Hopefully he will regain his energy and join us once again, Francis and I have been so worried about him this whole time. I hope he feels better soon._

_July 5__th 1911  
>Feliciano's fever has finally broken, right now he is downstairs in the bathing chambers with Francis.<em>

_I don't think I could be any happier if I tried. Maybe I should make him something as a type of congratulations for no longer being ill._

_I made him tea earlier when he was sitting in the room with me since he wasn't capable of working._

_It is nice to see him acting like his old self again, I will admit that it was odd when he wasn't acting as he normally does...happy and really cheerful._

_September 17__th 1911  
>I am so tired, I can barely keep my hand steady, or my eyes open. I was switched so that I served the customers tonight.<em>

_I was a little hesitant to do so, fearing that the same thing that happened two years ago would happen again. But so far I haven't been bothered at all, I do still get a lot of glances and smiles from the people around me._

_I regret that I could not write more, I am exhausted._

_December 20__th 1911  
>It has gotten very cool outside, this may be the one time that I do not wish to venture outside; I've been spending most of my time when I'm not serving downstairs in the bathing chambers to try to keep warm.<em>

_It isn't unbearably cold upstairs, but the only source of heat is in the middle of the room, it is not enough. At least the covers that all of us use are switched so that they are thicker to keep us warm._

_To believe another year will be coming to an end so soon, I wonder what next year will have in store for me._

_March 30__th 1912  
><em>_Things have been the same, an endless cycle. Sometimes I wish something unusual would happen, something that would change the mood here._

_Is that asking too much? At least if I am to be 'contained' inside of a brothel, I should be entitled to some form of entertainment other than the antics of the drunken and rowdy patrons._

_I hope Mistress Yao will allow Feliciano, Francis and I to go outside of the brothel once more._

_June 17__th 1912  
><em>_I have returned from my outing with both Francis and Feliciano. The strangest thing occurred while I was out._

_An old woman told me about a premonition she had about me, she said something about meeting someone. Should I believe what she told me? I would not say I am skeptical._

_I wonder what she meant, she mentioned great change. What does that mean? All I can do is pray that this change is something good._

_July 31__st 1912  
>While collecting glasses from a table of men, I heard them talking about something; I know I should not listen in on others conversations but it seemed really important.<em>

_They mentioned that Emperor Mutsuhito had passed away yesterday, and that he was to be __succeeded by his son Yoshihito. They said that it was the beginning of a new period in time called Taisho. Maybe that woman was right._

Kiku ignored what the woman had said to him one month ago and tried to focus on the present, not knowing of the changes that were to take place over the rest of the year and into the next one.

Meanwhile across the Pacific Ocean all the way in America, a young handsome man by the name of Alfred was making his way onto a passenger liner that was setting sail for Tokyo, Japan all the way from San Francisco. As the last passengers made their way up the ramp and onto the boat as the horn sounded and the boat was secured. The boat began slowly drifting off in the direction of the East where Alfred would on one fateful night have his life changed forever.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, chapter seven is done! And as promised there are the first signs of Alfred ^_^ They are very small, but in Chapter eight Alfred will start to make his way over to the brothel. I'm sorry if it seems like it's taking forever. <strong>

**Definitons: **  
><strong>(1910)<strong>  
><strong>*During the last few days of the old year it is common to clean thingsreplace things through out the household like old paper on shoji **

**Osechi-Served New Years Day (Traditional New Year Foods)**  
><strong>Toshikoshi soba (Or toshikoshi udon) - served at 11:00 pm before the New Year<strong>

**Ringing of the bell 108 times (bonsho) It is struck one time for each of the 108 earthly desires believed to cause human suffering. Once complete, it is believed that the ringing of the bells casts off sins from the previous year. **

**Hanami- (Flower viewing) Normally the flowers begin blooming around March 22nd **

**Momijigari- Autumn leaf viewing **

**(1911)**  
><strong>February 11th- Kiku's birthday<strong>

**(1912)**  
><strong>June 17th (I decided to make my birthday the day where Kiku went on his outing lol just being random)- Listens to woman's premonition about an 'great change' cough...Alfred...cough ^_^<strong>

***July 30th was the day that Emporor Mutsuhito was said to have passed even though he really passed on July 29th (True story^_^ Like I said all of the periods in time along with the clothing and locations are all real ^_^) **

**Alfred is introduced briefly, Chapter Eight is where he'll really be heard from/explained a little more. **  
><strong>(Like I mentioned earlier)<strong>  
><strong><br>I pulled another all nighter, this time I finished at 5:07 AM (New record!) ^_^**

**Okay and as for the chapter being set up with dates along with the fact that a huge chunk is in italics. It's suposed to be Kiku's writing in his journal. **

**I hope eveyone enjoys this chapter, thank you for continuing to read and as always please review. I appreciate it Goodnight...or should I say good morning? Enjoy~**


	8. Chapter 8

The True Beauty Of A Withered Camellia: Meeting

On the ship, people could be seen moving about in between the different levels mingling with others as they made their way to their own destinations in different areas of the vessel whether it be the dinning room or the cabin that they slept in each night.

Alfred looked up at the cloudless sky as the seagulls soared into the virtually endless scenery above; the smell of the ocean along with the sounds of the waves being separated underneath the front of the liner made for a peaceful trip.

The trip was indeed a long one in which he was to spend eleven days at sea before reaching his destination in the far east. Alfred hadn't really left anything behind, he left America so that he could travel and experience something different.

Alfred had always been an outgoing person, even as a child, he had originally been raised by his father who had been a wealthy and successful broker. From an early age, Alfred remembered his father living a life of lavish, the finest things money could by, chaise lounges decadent in deep burgundy, wines ranging from Port to Merlot in the cellar, large rooms adorned in treasures from across the seas.

His father never really had the time to play with him let alone pay that much attention to him when he was younger, his father had left that responsibly to the nanny and the servants he had hired to watch over the home when he was not there.

Alfred was being brought up to take his father's place once his father chose to retire from his business; Alfred was a bright child, but he was also rebellious. By the time he was in his seventeen, he had become estranged with his father, and even taken the initiative to leave his home behind and take up living with a close family friend.

Although his father had high hopes for him, hoping that his son would become a refined gentlemen in which the likes of his competitors had never seen, Alfred would constantly refuse claiming that he wanted to be a writer so that he could immerse others within the world he created rather then becoming a man hardened by his work, unable to show compassion and consumed by his own opulence.

His father, enraged by his behavior denounced him as the soul heir to all of his profits and promised to omit him from his will. On one rainy evening as fate would have it, he passed away in his sleep from an illness. Which left him unable to fulfill his statement of omitting his son from his will leaving Alfred with all of his fortune.

When informed of his father's passing, Alfred returned home to settle a few things before collecting everything that was promised to him in the will and setting back to his home where he remained living quietly until 1912 when he decided to leave on a trip across the Pacific.

As Alfred peered over the railing, he looked out into the deep blue water hoping to see some form of land. So far, he had been spending his time in his cabin or mingling with the others aboard the ship; it had been ten days since he left from his home in California.

Alfred, tired from moving around the ship for a large portion of the day, decided to rest in his cabin in hopes that when he awoke he would be greeted by the sounds of the foreign tongues of the natives and the peculiar new setting that he was to become accustomed to.

After awaking to the rocking and the muffled sounds of water brushing against the outside of the boat, Alfred made his way to the upper deck to see if the liner was getting closer to land. It was at that precise moment that just through the morning's dense fog, he could see land. He had finally arrived in Japan.

The blonde's bright cyan colored eyes lit up as the boat began to slow and drift inwards towards the dock as crew members readied the boat's ramp to be let down so that the passengers could make their way off of the ship.

People carried their luggage behind them as they made their way onto Japanese soil; Alfred looked around in amazement at how even the few natives that were standing near the boat looked so interesting, _I can't believe I'm actually standing here...in Japan!_Alfred thought to himself.

Alfred swung his bag over his shoulder and made his way towards the city so that he could settle in before traveling around. Unsure about his surroundings, Alfred followed behind a crowd of people heading for a small building on the side of the road.

To Alfred's dismay, he couldn't exactly make out what the sign said since it was in a completely different language. Alfred thought for a minute before an idea popped into his head, "Excuse me!" he called out to people in close proximity to him.

A few heads turned while others continued to walk by with out so much as a look, "Excuse me, does anyone here know English?" Alfred asked as he began walking around a little. "Excuse..."Alfred's sentence was cut short as he bumped into something firm.

He looked at the clean cut man in front of him who showed a look of frustration, " Do try to be more aware of your surroundings," the man said in a sharp tone. "I'm sorry, it's just that, I'm having trouble finding someone that can speak English," Alfred replied as he nervously rubbed the back of his head.

"I see, well you just found some one," the man said. "Well, the thing is...I need someone who can speak English so that they can translate Japanese for me...at least until I've had a chance to learn some since I'll be here for a while," Alfred said.

"Well, I know Japanese," the man said. "Really? Oh that would be great..." Alfred said as he placed his thumb and his index fingers to the tip of his chin as he thought of something.

"Would you be interested in earning some money?" Alfred asked before turning his head slightly and smiling. The man looked at him confused as to what he was trying to get at, "Well that would be nice...but...well what were you thinking of?" the man asked.

"Well, I was thinking that in exchange for you sticking around with me while I travel around Japan, acting as a translator and helping me out with the language until I get the hang of it I could pay you," Alfred said as he looked into the man's emerald colored eyes.

The man raised one of his thick eyebrows, "Where would you get that type of money for all of the time that you were thinking of having me around anyways? This isn't some kind of joke is it?" the man asked.

"Trust me, I'm a man of my word, I can pay you every cent, plus interest if you want?" Alfred said as he placed his hand into his pocket to pull out some of the money he had placed inside before he left on the ship to Japan.

The man looked down at Alfred's hand full of bills with his eyes slightly widened at how much money the man had on him at the moment. The man thought to himself for a little bit before answering Alfred, "Well...I guess if I'll be paid for my services... it would be okay," the man said with a small smile on his face.

"Really? Thanks, this really helps me out of a bind...now lets see, first off...what does that sign say?" Alfred asked as he pointed to the piece of wood above the door that have symbols written in thick black paint.

The man read the sign before turning to face Alfred, "It says _Rickshaw Service_," the man said as he turned back to inspect the small company. "Why did you want to know?" the man asked. "Well, I figured I should find some where to settle in before exploring the town and I need to figure out where I'm going," Alfred replied.

"Were you planning to take a rickshaw to the nearest hotel?" the man asked slightly turning his head. Alfred nodded, "Exactly." "Well as a matter of fact I was just heading back to my hotel room for a little while, would you care to follow me?" the man asked.

"Sure, if you don't mind," Alfred said. Before following the man toward the front of the shop, "Hold on a moment," the blonde hair man said as he approached the man standing outside of the door. Alfred listened as the two men exchanged words, listening to the foreign language flow so naturally from the blonde man's mouth.

_I wonder what they're saying_, Alfred thought to himself. Alfred was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard the other man's voice again, "Alright, lets get going shall we? The man standing near the door said he is able to take us to the hotel," the blonde hair man said as he made his way to the rickshaw and got it.

"Well, are you coming?" the man asked. "Right," Alfred said as he quickly walked over to the rickshaw and got in next to him. "By the way...what's the name of the hotel?" Alfred asked as he made himself a little more comfortable.

"It's called the _Imperial Hotel_," the man said. "We should be there shortly," the man said as he looked of to the side watching the people go by. "That's good," Alfred said. "Hey, I never had a chance to ask you what your name was," Alfred said.

The man looked over at Alfred, "My name is Arthur Kirkland, nice to meet your acquaintance," he said with a smile. "Hello Arthur, my name is Alfred F. Jones," Alfred said before extending his hand to shake Arthur''s hand.

"So your from England," Alfred said softly. "Yes, and I presume you are from America?" Arthur said before focusing his attention back on the street. Alfred nodded before looking straight ahead to see if the two had reached their destination yet.

Arthur pulled out his pocket watch and looked down at it, "Well, I think I'll go back to my room and enjoy a nice cup of tea," Arthur said as he closed his watch. "What will you do?" Arthur asked.  
>"Well, first I have to get checked in, I may need your help for that, then well...if it's okay with you I'd like to go out to explore the city after I eat something,"Alfred said. Arthur looked at him, "That should be alright, would you like me to show you around?" Arthur asked as the rickshaw came to a complete stop.<p>

Alfred looked at the building they had just stopped in front of, "Wow, look at this place, it looks so nice," Alfred said. The building was mostly white, while the shingles of the roof were a light lilac; the hotel was small and had a few trees surrounding the area around it while the water reflected the images of the leaves along with both Alfred and Arthur on it's still surface.

Alfred and Arthur made their way into the hotel's entrance hall and from there to the front desk. Arthur began another conversation in Japanese, this time with a young lady. Alfred looked around while Arthur talked to the woman.

When Arthur was done, he called Alfred over so that he could take his keys, he smiled before looking over towards the woman at the front desk and saying thank you. "Well, I guess we should make our way up to our rooms," Arthur said as he strolled up the stairs. "Right, Alfred said as he carried his bag over his shoulder following behind Arthur.

"Here we are, make yourself comfortable until it's time for us to leave, speaking of...what time did you have in mind for leaving?" Arthur asked as he opened the door to his hotel room. Arthur thought for a moment, how about...three o' clock?" Alfred asked.

"Alright, but isn't that a little late?" Arthur asked. "I don't think so, if you think about it, exciting things don't usually start happening until later in the day anyways, plus I think I want to get cleaned up and rest after I finish eating," Alfred said as he carried his bags into his rooms.

"Alright then, I'll talk to you when three o' clock rolls around," Alfred said as he waved and closed the door behind him. Alfred went down to the dining hall for something to eat, finished his meal, returned upstairs, cleaned himself up and lied down in his bed before drifting off into a light sleep, secretly dreaming about the fun he would have touring through out the city of Tokyo.

A few hours when Alfred woke up, he heard a knock at his door followed by the familiar voice of a certain British gentleman, "Hey, Alfred...are you in there?" Arthur asked. Alfred made his way to the door and opened it, "Sorry, what did you want to see me about?" Alfred replied as he looked at Arthur.

"Well, didn't you say you wanted to tour around the city?" Arthur said slightly turning his head. "Of course, but aren't we supposed to do that later around three o' clock?" Alfred asked. "That's just it, it's past three, you overslept I tried to knocked on your door earlier, but you weren't answering so I left for a bit before coming back," Arthur replied.

"Really? Damn, I can't believe I let myself do that...I guess I must have really been tired. Well what time is it right now?" Alfred asked as he made his way over to the window to draw the curtains. Arthur searched through his pocket before recovering his pocket watch and responding, "It's about half past five," Arthur said before closing the watch.

Alfred thought for a moment before answering, "Well...how's the nightlife around here?" Alfred said as he turned to face Arthur. The emerald eyed blonde smiled before answering, "It can get pretty lively at night... care to see ?" Arthur asked.  
>"Would you mind?" Alfred asked before putting on one of his gray flat caps and shoes. "Not at all," Arthur said before moving out of the doorway so Alfred could make his way out of the room. The two made their way down to the entrance hall of the hotel and out of the front doors.<p>

"Would you prefer I find us another rickshaw to take into town?" Arthur asked. "No, I think we should walk so that I can get a feel for this town, if you don't mind that is?" Alfred said before making his way down the steps.

"Not at all," Arthur said as he began walking out towards the gates at the front and out into public with Alfred. The young American looked around at the town surrounding him, the small shops, the vendors the buildings it was all so different to him.

"Look at all of this, it's so new...not like what I'm used to," Alfred said before turning onto a different street. "So where are we off to first?" Alfred asked as he looked at Arthur. "Let's see, how about a couple of shops near the market, considering that you'll be staying here for a significantly long time, you should at least have a look at what your going to be eating right?" Arthur asked before leading Alfred towards the one of the towns many markets.

Alfred took in everything that was surrounding him as he walked around with Arthur, they spent hours talking about their lives and how they had ended up in Japan; before the two knew it, the sky had grown dark as lights began turning on around them and more people started coming out.

"Where did the time go?" Alfred said as he continued walking. "Well what would you like to do now?"Arthur asked as he turned to look at the cyan eyed man standing next to him. Alfred looked around until a continuing strip of lights caught his interest, "Hey Arthur, what's that?" Alfred asked as he pointed straight ahead.

"Arthur looked so that he could see what Alfred was talking about, "Oh that? That is Tokyo's famous Yoshiwara Akasen," Arthur said. Alfred looked at him blankly, "In other words that's a red-light district," Arthur said. "Oh..." Alfred said softly. "Well, would you like to find an establishment to go into?" Arthur asked. "Alfred thought before answering, "Well, the night is young I suppose...," Alfred said as he made his way past the threshold that marked both his and Arthur's entrance into Yoshiwara.

"Pick whichever one you want," Arthur said as he stood next to Alfred who looked around at the signs unsure of what they said. "Hmm...hey Arthur, what does this building's sign say?" Alfred said as he pointed to the sign above.

"This one says _Scarlet Peony_," Arthur said. "I've heard talk of this establishment having one of the most beautiful workers whose virtue is so sought after by all of the patrons that the owner has given the worker's body one of the highest prices in all of Yoshiwara," Arthur said.

"Let's go in then shall we?" Arthur said as he opened the door to reveal the crowded brothel full of lustful men purchasing prostitutes and conversing with others around them. "It's so crowded in here," Alfred said as he raised his voice so Arthur could hear him over all of the commotion.

"From what I hear it's almost always like this," Arthur said as he began speaking to one of the men at the front counter. After Arthur finished talking he took a seat in one of the booths on the left side as Alfred followed him and sat on the opposite side of him.

Alfred looked down as he heard his stomach growl, "Hungry?" Arthur asked as he hailed a worker over to take down their order. "Alfred, are dumplings and rice wine alright?" Arthur asked as he looked to Alfred for a reply.

"Sure, that's fine," Alfred said as he smiled. Arthur nodded as he turned and began speaking in the foreign language that he had become so accustomed to in the two years he had been in Japan. The male nodded before heading back towards the kitchen to put the order in.

Alfred took in the scenery as he talked with Arthur, "Have you ever been to Yoshiwara before?" Alfred asked as he fiddled with his fingers, just slightly embarrassed about the question he had just asked. "As a matter of fact yes I have, only a hand full of times though," Arthur said as he turned his head to watch the small brunette performer on stage.

"This place just draws you in, if it's not for the obvious things that take place here, it's for the mysteriousness that this place exudes. It's as if the town is non-existent in the daytime only to be revealed in the shroud of darkness each night," Arthur said as he looked at the server approaching the table with both his and Alfred's order.

"H-Here is your order...thank you for waiting, would you like me to sit with you too for a little while?" the young male said as he looked slightly off to the side. "Great, you speak English, you don't find that everyday, sure make yourself comfortable," Arthur said as he moved over to let the server sit next to him.

"Thank you," the young male said as he made his way into the booth keeping his eyes focused on the table so as not to make direct eye contact with either of the foreign men unless asked to. Alfred's attention automatically switched to the person sitting in front of him; Alfred slowly looked up to see the server's face which was looking off to the side slightly.

"Well, what's your name?" Arthur asked kindly. The male looked over towards Arthur, "My name is Tsubaki, nice to meet your acquaintance," Kiku said softly before slightly bowing his head. "Camellia...that name suits you perfectly. You're very pretty," Arthur said as he reached for the tokkuri full of sake in front of him.

"Oh, please allow me," Kiku said as he placed one of the two sakazuki in front of him and poured the sake into it. "Thank you love," Arthur said as he took a small sip and placed the cup back on the table.

"How rude of me, I've yet to introduce myself. My name is Arthur and I hail from England," Arthur said as he took another sip of sake. "And this is my friend Alfred, he just arrived today all the way from America," Arthur said.

"Well Alfred don't be so quiet, say hello," Arthur said as he picked up a dumpling. Alfred looked up to see the small framed male's dark chocolate eyes gazing into his bright cyan ones, "It is very nice to meet you...Alfred," Kiku said as he continued to look at the foreign man focusing on the details of his appearance.

_His hair is so bright in color...and his eyes are so full of life...he looks so...kind, _Kiku thought to himself as he poured the man some sake. At that moment both Kiku and Alfred were taken aback by each others looks; Alfred's so strong and vibrant and Kiku's so soft and fragile. At this point, whether the two realized it or not, they would be brought together by more then the Scarlet Peony.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry for the delay, I've been going outside for the past couple of days to get some fresh air (bike riding mostly, plus it helps me clear my mind so I can think better I've actually gotten some great story ideas while riding ^_^) <strong>

**Anyways...here's the newest installment of The True Beauty Of A Withered Camellia **

**Definitions:**  
><strong>Tokkuri: Flask or bottle from which sake is served<strong>  
><strong>Sakazuki: Flat saucer like cup<strong>  
><strong>*Imperial Hotel (The original model was used in this story. It was designed by Yuzuru Watanabe and lasted from 1890-1919. Unfortuneately, it was accidentally burned down.) If your intrested in seeing a picture (a small picture nonetheless) of the hotel from a distance just go to wikipedia and type in Imperial Hotel Tokyo. <strong>

**Thank you for continuing to read and as always, please review. I really appreciate it. Enjoy~**


	9. Chapter 9

The True Beauty Of A Withered Camellia: Light Within The Dark

As the night continued, Kiku mingled with Arthur and Alfred leaving every so often to bring back another order of rice wine. It had been over two and a half hours since the two foreign men entered the brothel. Although Arthur was ready to make his way back to the hotel, Alfred felt inclined to stay for some reason, it was as if something was keeping him there. Perhaps it was the undeniable beauty of the person sitting before him.

Alfred continued to talk to Kiku as everything else around him seemed to be non existent, "S-So Tsubaki...what type of things do you like to do?" Alfred asked as he took another sip from his cup. "Well the truth of the matter is that there is nothing that I really can do other than sit and wait for someone to finally purchase me," Kiku said with a sad expression overtaking his face.

"That's really...unfortunate...I'm sorry. It must be very hard to wake up knowing that you will have to do something that you don't want to do with so many...customers," Alfred said feeling a bit awkward for asking the question in the first place.

"That's the one thing you are wrong about...I was fortunate enough to have escaped being given away to a customer, I am priced very high so that the money that I will eventually bring into the brothel will benefit Mistress Yao," Kiku said as he looked down for a moment.

"That seems so selfish of that person to put you through all of this just for some money," Alfred said before quickly finishing the corner of rice wine in his cup. Both Kiku and Alfred were silent for a moment before a voice shattered it, "Hey, Alfred, are you ready to go yet? I want to get home to get some rest before I show you around town tomorrow," Arthur said as he made his way towards the door.  
>Alfred sighed, "Well, I guess I have to get going now...it was very nice meeting you Tsubaki...goodnight,"Alfred said softly as he made his way to where Arthur was standing and left the brothel.<p>

"Goodnight...Alfred," Kiku said as he got up from the booth and began cleaning off the table before making his way towards the kitchen to put everything away. When he returned he saw a face that seemed somewhat familiar to him, Kiku tried to get a better look at the person but to no avail.

Suddenly, the man noticed Kiku looking over at him from across the room, "Well will ya look who it is...it's that pretty little thing who started all that trouble for us a couple years back," the man said as he tapped one of his friends on the shoulder to catch their attention.

Half way out of the Yoshiwara district, Alfred realized that he had forgotten something, "Arthur," Alfred said. "What is it Alfred?" Arthur replied. "Why don't you just head back with out me? I'll catch up later," Alfred said as he went to turn around. "Why?" Arthur asked. "Looks as if I've forgotten something back at the Scarlet Peony," Alfred replied. "Well, I suppose if you're intent on going back. Very well, see you later," Arthur said as he continued on his way back towards the hotel.

"Right," Alfred said as he waved and made his way back towards the brothel. Although he felt foolish for forgetting something as simple as a hat, he was somewhat grateful that he had left it in the booth so that he could see Tsubaki again.

"You're right...ya think he's still pure?" one of the other men said before looking over at the stunned Kiku. "Well what do ya think we should do about it?" one of the men asked. "Hmm...how about we show him a good time?" the leader of the pack of men said before going through his pocket trying to contemplate how much money he had made working down at the docks that week.

The man summoned the courtesan to ask what price Kiku was for the entire night; the courtesan's eyes widened ever so slightly, "Are you interested in Tsubaki?" the courtesan asked. "Depends on how much he's goin' for," the man said holding out his money. "Tsubaki's price is roughly 20,000 yen," the courtesan said before taking an inhale from his pipe.

Alfred made his way back into the brothel and asked the man at the front if he could quickly look for his hat that he had left in one of the booths; the man nodded as Alfred made his way back to the both where he was sitting not but a half an hour ago. He saw his hat sitting on the inner part of the booth, "Ah, there it is!" Alfred said cheerfully as he went to grab it.

_Maybe I should try to see if Tsubaki is around_, Alfred thought to himself as he looked around the room he was in but to no avail. Just as he was about to leave he saw a group of men gathered around, he went up to the man at the front of the establishment, "Hey, do you know what's going on over there?" Alfred asked.

The man nodded, "Yes, it looks as if Mistress Yao has finally found a couple of customers willing to splurge on one of our more expensive workers," the man said before turning back to his work. _It couldn't be..._Alfred thought to himself before unconsciously moving towards the crowd of men and pushing through to the front.

"Hold on a second, don't think you can just push through, if you want him you better bid like the rest of us," the man next to him said. Alfred listened as the courtesan kept listing numbers and asking if anyone would wish to add on to the cost, " 9,000 yen. Is there a man who is willing to go higher for this beauty?" the courtesan asked as he looked around at all of the men surrounding both him and Kiku.

"No? Alright then, if there aren't any others who wish to go higher I suppose that..." the courtesan was cut off with a loud protest from a blonde male. "Wait! I want to bid, what was the last bid?" Alfred said as he pulled money from his pocket.

"Oh how fortunate you are sir, you almost lost the chance to bed this beauty for the first time, how much are you willing to offer me?" the courtesan asked as he took another inhale from his pipe. "How's this for you?" Alfred, unsure of how much of the foreign money he was presenting at the moment asked.

The men around him grumbled as they made their ways either back to their tables or out of the brothel claiming that no one in their right mind would be willing to pay that much money for a common prostitute. The courtesan's eye's widened again as he smiled and took the money from the American's hand, "You...are much too generous sir...right this way," the courtesan said as he led him to the corner booth where Kiku was sitting waiting for the bidding to be over.

"Tsubaki, we've finally found a patron for you, hurry. You mustn't waste his time," the courtesan said as he took Kiku's hand and made him stand to greet his first customer. Kiku looked up slowly afraid of what he would see before being subjugated to the lustful advances of an unfamiliar man.

Kiku exhaled sharply before finally meeting his customer's eyes; they looked so warm and comforting just like...Kiku's eyes widened as he realized who it was who stood before him. "Alfred," Kiku said almost inaudibly under his breath. "Nice to meet you Tsubaki," Alfred said as he smiled.

The courtesan led the two of them upstairs to the end of the hallway and into a small room wherein the walls were colored a deep red with a small lattice window near the corner, a few lanterns at the opposite ends of each side of the room for light and a thick futon on the ground layered in soft silk sheets and covers varying in colors from dark pink to plum.

Alfred took his time looking around as he handed his money to the courtesan, "Thank you for your business... please enjoy yourself," the courtesan said as he made his way out of the room closing the door behind him. Alfred waited until he heard the footsteps fade into the distance to begin talking, "Are you alright?" Alfred ask with concern in his voice.

Kiku nodded as he began undoing his kimono, Alfred stopped him, "What are you doing?" Alfred asked. Kiku turned his head looking at him oddly, "You've just paid for my services, it is my job..." Kiku said as he continued to undo his kimono.

"No, I purchased you so that you wouldn't have to go through with it...I know it sounds weird but...I couldn't just stand by while those men...treated you as if you were some type of object," Alfred said looking off to the side slightly. Alfred smiled, "Call me softhearted..." Alfred said gently as he looked over towards the window.

"But, what will Mistress Yao think when he finds out that you haven't done anything with me?" Kiku said before looking down slightly embarrassed by the questioned he had just asked. "Well, no one said that he has to find out... we can just make this our little secret," Alfred said. "How's that sound?" Alfred asked.

Kiku looked taken aback for a moment before repeatedly thanking the man sitting in front of him from the bottom of his heart, "You don't have to thank me, it's alright...really," Alfred said before placing his hands behind his head and letting himself fall backwards onto one of the soft pillows.

"So, how did you end up in a place like this? You seem so innocent to be in this type of setting..."Alfred said as he looked up at the ceiling. Kiku sighed softly before spending a portion of the night telling Alfred about his life up until that very moment. Towards the end of the conversation, Alfred was so absorbed in Kiku's story that he could think of nothing more then the condemned male in front of him and how unjust life had been to him.

"I- I can't believe you've been through so much in your life...how could your father do those things? What's more amazing is that you harbor no ill will towards the man who traded your freedom to escape being punished for his own wrong doing..."Alfred said as he bit down on his own lip attempting to contain his anger.

It was quiet for a moment, "You know Tsubaki," Alfred said before he was stopped by Kiku. "You can call me...Kiku," the small framed male said before blushing slightly. Alfred looked at him for a moment before smiling, "I thought your name was Tsubaki?" Alfred asked. "That is just a name given to me by Mistress Yao. My real name...is Kiku...Kiku Honda," the small framed male said before looking down.  
>"What does it mean?" Alfred asked curiously. Kiku looked up at him, "What?" Kiku asked while slightly turning his head to the side. "Your name...what does it mean?" Alfred asked again. "My name...means chrysanthemum," Kiku replied. "What a beautiful name, well I guess it's to be expected...some one blessed with a face like yours deserves at least that much," Alfred said as he sat up and looked at the watch on his wrist.<p>

"Boy...where did the time go? It's already been four hours..." Alfred said as he readied himself to leave. "Well, I guess the time must of gotten away from us Mr...?" Kiku said before going silent for a moment. "Jones...Alfred F. Jones," the blonde said before standing up.

"Well, I guess I should be leaving now," Alfred said as he made his way towards the shoji. "W-Wait..." Kiku said softly just barely catching the American's attention. Alfred turned around, "Is something wrong?" Alfred asked. Kiku shook his head, "No...it's just...that...welll I really enjoyed your company, you were so nice to me even though you've only just known me for a few hours. I am truly indebted to you..." Kiku said.

"For the last time, it was nothing...I don't like seeing people hurt or upset...especially if they're as pretty as you," Alfred said before going into his pocket and handing Kiku a small amount of money. Kiku looked stunned, "What's this? What are you doing...I've done nothing...I shouldn't Mr. Jones..." Kiku said quietly.

"It's just a little something for you, consider it a thank you for being so kind and hospitable," Alfred said before smiling. "Well I should be leaving now, thanks again...Kiku. I hope we can talk like this next time..."Alfred said as he closed the shoji behind him.

Kiku sat in the room in silence for a moment reflecting on what has just happened within the last few hours before he realized what the blonde had just said, "Next time..." Kiku said under his breath. Kiku stood and made his way over to the small lattice window and peered out, he expected the man to be long gone but low and behold there he was standing on the street waving up.

Kiku unconsciously waved back as he held the money tightly in his palm, "Goodnight...Alfred," Kiku said in an almost inaudible tone. Alfred nodded and made his way down the street back towards the Imperial Hotel as Kiku's dark eyes followed the older man's figure until it faded into a large group of people.

As the dawn approached, Kiku situated himself back inside of his room, set up his futon and quickly went through the chest to take out his prized possession.

_August 11__th__ 1912  
>It seems that fate has dealt me a fair hand, a man by the name of Alfred F. Jones, so kind...his hair is like that of the grain harvested from the fields and his eyes brighter than the sky in high noon. He is so optimistic, kind and gentle it was luck that was on my side tonight, perhaps that fortuneteller was right about the change in my life...<em>

Kiku stopped writing, put the money in between two of the pages he had already written on and placed the book back inside of the small chest. Shortly after, Kiku let himself drift off to sleep comforted by the thought of the man he had only just met; secretly awaiting his return to the Scarlet Peony.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, sorry for the wait, I was kind of tired plus I had placement tests for college ^_^ but since I'm done now, I was able to finish chapter nine. <strong>  
><strong>Definitions:<strong>  
><strong>9,000 yen- $113.88<strong>  
><strong>20,000 yen- $253.00<strong>

**In the next chapter, I might end up speeding up the clock a little bit to get the story moving at a better pace so rest assured things will get even better. **

**I hope everyone enjoy's this chapter ^_^ Thank you for continuing to read I appreciate it. And as always please rate. 3**


	10. Chapter 10

The True Beauty Of A Withered Camellia: Love and Desire

As the summer dulled and the leaves on the trees began to morph into beautiful spectacles ranging from gold to stunning reds and oranges before shedding from the end of the branches, Kiku found himself being drawn in more and more by the blonde who would return to see him almost every other day.

In the beginning of their new relationship with one another after they had spent most of the night conversing with each other, Alfred wanted to see to it that Kiku would remain untouched.

Unbeknownst to Kiku, Alfred had come to an agreement with the courtesan shortly after he had left the room he was just in with the small framed male. In exchange for a certain amount of money every time he returned to the Scarlet Peony, the courtesan was to reserve Kiku for Alfred and Alfred alone.

With this, Alfred remained true to his promise every time he returned, "Kiku, I'm sorry it took me so long to get here," Alfred said as he made his way into the small room and shut the shoji behind him. Kiku turned around to greet the blonde, "I've missed you," the dark eyed male said as he moved closer to Alfred.

"I've missed you too," Alfred said as he held Kiku in his arms and kissed his soft pink lips before attempting to move down to his neck. Kiku blushed lightly as he he took Alfred's face in between his small hands and kissed him lovingly on the lips. Alfred began to slowly undo the front of Kiku's kimono, "You're moving so quickly," the small framed male said as he moved them towards the futon.

Alfred laughed a little, "I'm sorry, it's just that...it's been so long since we've..." the blonde said before pausing. Kiku looked off to the side, " Been... intimate?" Kiku said as he slowly took of Alfred's glasses and scarf.

"It's so cold outside, why don't you help warm me up?" Alfred said as he began kissing Kiku's pale elongated neck. Kiku's breath hitched as his hands fell to his sides, he let Alfred take over as he leaned into the American's kisses as they deepened, "A-Alfred..." Kiku said as he blushed heavily.

Alfred gently placed Kiku against the covers as he opened the small framed male's kimono to expose his porcelain skin. "So beautiful..."Alfred said sensually as he slowly began trailing down Kiku's body. _His skin contrasts so beautifully against the plum fabric, _Alfred thought to himself as he let his hand brush against Kiku's member.

"Alfred!" Kiku said as he let his head push back against the the pillow. The blonde smiled before continuing on. Alfred undid his suspenders and slid them off of his shoulders before discarding his pants completely and moving in front of his lover's now splayed legs.

Alfed prepared himself along with Kiku before entering the smaller male's body and sheathing himself completely inside before pausing to let Kiku adjust to him. After a moment, Alfred began to move slowly and gradually pick up his pace.

"Alfred...so...good," Kiku said in between breaths as he placed his arms tightly around the blonde pulling him in closer. Alfred smiled as he raised the younger male's hips ever so slightly so that he could go even deeper inside of him. Kiku's eyes widened as he felt a special bundle of nerves being hit inside of him, "Alfred!" Kiku cried out as tears began to form in the corner's of his eyes.

The panting and soft moans of both men echoed through out the small room as the two began to reach the inevitable. Alfred continued to thrust in and out of the tight ring of muscle before Kiku let out a loud moan as he let himself go in between both of their stomachs. Alfred followed soon after lying down besides Kiku as he gave himself the opportunity to catch his breath.

Alfred kissed Kiku lovingly on the forehead before letting his eyelids shut; they awoke to the sounds of the shoji being opened and some one calling out to them from the doorway, " Tsubaki...Mistress Yao wanted me to let you know that your client's time with you has expired..." Feliciano said as he blushed lightly from the sight of Alfred and Kiku in the same futon together. "I will leave you two alone now," Feliciano said as he bowed lightly, shut the shoji and made his way back down the hall.

Alfred sighed, "I can't believe I already have to leave, it feels like I just got here..." the blonde said as he stood and and promptly began to dress himself. Kiku smiled lightly, "I know what you mean...I've always disliked being here, I feel trapped like a bird," Kiku said as he looked out of the lattice window watching the white snow fall to the ground and blanket it.

"I hate having to leave you, I want to be able to protect you Kiku...I love you," Alfred said as he placed his hat on his head. Kiku blushed deeply as he moved closer to Alfred, "I love you too...maybe some day...you and I can start a life here in Japan, we could live in a small home and..." Kiku said before stopping himself.

"But, considering the position I'm in...that would be years from now..." Kiku said as he let his head fall slightly. Alfred saw this and immediately lifted the male's head so that their eyes interlocked, "Don't talk like that, there's a saying back in my country, Where there's a will there's a way...I'm sure fate has something in store for the two of us. No...I'm definite!" Alfred said as he kissed Kiku's lips.

Kiku smiled, "You always know when to say the right thing..." the small male replied. Alfred laughed, "I do? I hadn't noticed," the blonde ran his hand over Kiku's cheek before making his way towards the door. "Wait a minute," Kiku said softly. Alfred turned to have Kiku bring his arms over the blonde's head before allowing something soft to touch his neck. Kiku proceeded to wrap the item around Alfred's neck, "You wouldn't want to forget your scarf, you might get sick," Kiku said warmly as he smiled.

"Thank you, I don't know what I'd do with out you," Alfred said as he opened the shoji. "Goodnight Kiku," Alfred said. " Goodnight Alfred," Kiku said as he saw Alfred nod before closing the shoji behind him.

Later that night after Kiku had cleaned himself up in the bathing chambers, he returned upstairs to put out his futon next to Feliciano and Francis. After he was situated, he began to converse quietly with them as the other men returned to the room. "Kiku, you seem different in some way, am I right?" Francis asked as he switched positions so that he could prop himself up on one elbow facing the small framed male.

Kiku smiled lightly, "You really think so?" Kiku asked. Feliciano nodded, "Si, it's as if every time the Scarlet Peony opens for the night, instead of dreading it like you used to...now it's something you wait for," Feliciano said. "Well I..." Kiku started before he was interrupted by Francis. "I think I know why. Who is that man who returns here so often for you?"Francis asked as he raised his eyebrow slightly with a small grin on his face.

Kiku blushed, "I-It's just..." kiku said. The two men moved closer waiting for Kiku to answer. Kiku sighed, "Alright, If I tell you...you mustn't tell anyone else...who knows what would happen if Mistress Yao found out," Kiku said as his face turned serious for a moment. "You have our word," Francis said as he moved closer so that he could hear Kiku. Feliciano nodded before doing the same as Kiku began to tell them the story of how he had come to know Alfred.

He spent about an hour telling them every detail of how they had grown closer to each other over the past five months and how they had ended up falling hopelessly in love. Kiku, although blushing heavily even mentioned the first time they had become intimate, earning a few soft laughs from the two men hanging on every word of Kiku's story.

After Kiku finished telling the story, Francis and Feliciano mentioned how happy they were for him, and how they hoped he would be able to be with Alfred one day when he left the Scarlet Peony. Shortly after, Francis and Feliciano let themselves fall asleep in the warmth of their futons; Kiku on the other hand found it a little difficult to fall asleep with out writing inside of his journal.

He looked around the dark room slowly, and then towards the shoji pausing for a moment listening for any sound that would alert him to the presence of either one of the guards or Mistress Yao himself. After a few moments of nothing but silence, Kiku slowly made his way out of his futon and over to the small chest.

He lifted up Francis' things and reached for his journal and writing utensil, took it out and slowly shut the chest. Kiku made his way back to the futon and opened the book to a blank page.

_December 19__th__ 1912  
><em>_This year started with me having nothing to look forward to, wishing that I could return to my regular life. But towards the middle of this summer, I found myself falling for Alfred, and now although I still want to leave, I want to leave with Alfred... It looks as if my heart has gotten the final say...I love him. What am I to do?_

Kiku read over his entry as he smiled, he made his way over to the chest and placed the small book back inside before closing the chest and returning to his futon and letting himself drift of into a light slumber, completely unaware that through his best attempts to remain secretive, someone had heard and seen him.

*******************************************************************************************  
>On the other side of the shoji, a guard sat in silence upset over what he had just heard, he remained silent the entire time during Kiku's story. His suspicions had just been confirmed, although this man had no intentions of pursuing his feelings for Kiku inside of the establishment, some how it still envoked a feeling of distaste for the other man in him.<p>

The man remembered the first time he had seen Kiku clearly for the first time, sitting in the small room by himself glancing out of the lattice window. He remembered how the small framed male sounded as well, a light, sweet voice that seemed uncertain almost all of the time; that had since disappeared.

He even remembered the first few sentences that Kiku had ever uttered to him, "_I-I never had a chance to thank you for saving me from those men a couple of nights ago... Y-Your name is Ryota... right?" __Ryota... why is it when he says my name... it sounds so much more vibrant than when anyone else addresses me by it?_

The guard shook his head before standing_, I wasn't supposed to let myself get caught up in something a __trivial as romance...I have to forget about it and fulfill my duties as the guard, _Ryota thought to himself."Just a guard," Ryota said quietly as he made his way to his quarters all the way at the beginning of the hall and shut the shoji behind him.  
>*******************************************************************************************<p>

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><p><strong>Alright, chapter ten is complete! ^_^ Now I have to start chapter eleven 3 <strong>

**As you can see, I sped up the clock so that now the two main characters of the story have been together for about five months, and that opened the floor to AmeriPan fan service! ^/^ I hope you all like it **

**I've also decided to add a twist towards the end, I love doing that lol There's still alot more drama and romance where that came from, I hope everyone enjoys this chapter and the many chapters to come. Thank you for reading and as always review. Enjoy~**


	11. Chapter 11

The True Beauty Of A Withered Camellia: Origin  
>Ryota sat in his room gazing up at the ceiling, trying to fall asleep, to no avail. He switched positions so that he was now lying on his side, that seemed to help him, as he began to close his eyes slowly and drifted off to sleep.<p>

As his chest rose rhythmically up and down, he began to slip into another world, one full of memories from his past; he felt himself moving back in time towards his old dwelling within the Mediterranean.

Although he was addressed by the name Ryota, he was not Japanese, he had traveled to Japan in hopes of a new life different from that of the one he led back in his native Turkey. His real name was Sadiq Adnan, he had practically raised himself at the young age of eight. His father had died in an accident while heading home from the town's market, while his mother had sub come to her illness a year later.

This left the young boy alone to fend for himself, he took up work around town, doing odd jobs that would earn him just enough money to be able to survive for another month. One night while running an errand for a client of his, Sadiq found himself inside of a hookah lounge. The smoke filled his lungs as he moved forward into the dimly lit room so that he could meet the man that his customer had sent him to at such a late hour.

As he approached he noticed four men surrounding a table conversing amongst each other, he caught the attention of one man and briefly discussed something with him before handing him a small package. Thinking that he had complete his job, he made his way towards the door so that he could return to his home.

Before he could make his way through the door way, he was blocked by a large man as another approached him from behind. "You're in such a rush to leave, why is that?" the man behind him asked. Sadiq's entire body became tense as he tried to calmly dismiss his actions as nothing more than just being tired and wanting to head home.

The man blocking the doorway smirked at him before looking at his boss, "What should we do with him?" he asked. The man ordered one of his men to turn Sadiq towards him, "How old are you boy?" the man asked sharply.

Sadiq looked off to the side instead of answering him. The man scowled at him before taking the boy's chin in between his hand roughly, "Are you ignoring me? I just addressed you...answer me!" the man snapped as his guards began to move in closer.

Sadiq cut his eyes to the side and down, "I'm fifteen..." the tanned male replied as he looked back up slowly. The guard paused for a moment and thought before speaking, "That seems about right..." he said to himself.

"You do odd jobs around town...correct?" the man asked. Sadiq nodded his head. "I need you to do something for me," the man said as he pulled something from a bag carried around by one of his men.

Sadiq looked at the bag curiously as the man in front of him untied the rope keeping it closed, "I need you to take this to the other side of town..." the man said. "That's all? How much are you willing to pay me?" Sadiq asked.

"So quick to jump to money I see?" the man asked before laughing slightly. "Do not worry about money, you will be paid accordingly if you complete this job with out fail," the man said as he took out the object that Sadiq was to take across town.

The now exposed object glinted under the light, is was a yatagan; the weapon was long and slender but at the same time intimidating. Sadiq looked it up and down amazed at it's mere appearance.

"So all I have to do is deliver this knife? That doesn't seem so hard," Sadiq said as he reached for the knife. The man held it closer to his own body so that Sadiq could not get a hold of it, "There is more to it than that, surely you did not think it would be that simple?" the man replied as he looked down at Sadiq.

"W-What do you mean?" Sadiq asked as he turned his head slightly. The man looked over to one of his men and then back down at Sadiq, "I need you...to kill the recipient of this knife," the man said. Sadiq's eyes widened, "No..." Sadiq said softly as he shook his head back and fourth. "You will be rewarded greatly if all goes according to plan," the man said. "I said no!" Sadiq said as he tried to back out of the doorway before he realized his path was blocked by a huge guard.

His hands were placed behind his back and his head pulled back by the guard so that he was staring at the ceiling, "I did not ask you whether you wanted to do this or not, heed my advice. If you continue to refuse, instead of having you dispose of the man, I will have my guard kill you before making his way to the man's home! Is that understood?" the man asked sharply as he held the blade to Sadiq's neck.

Sadiq swallowed hard as he slowly nodded his head, "Good," the man said as he took the knife away from the young boy's neck. "Timur, ready the horse to take both you and the boy across town," the man said as he handed the knife to the guard. "Do not disappoint me," the man said as he turned his back and returned to his table.

Sadiq followed the guard out side and waited for him to finish getting the horse ready, in the back of his mind, he wanted to drop the knife and run, but at the same time he was begin held back by two things, his fear of being apprehended before he could get very far and of what would happen to him if he had happened to get away, the men would be able to identify him in such a small town with ease.

Sadiq remained silent the entire time as the horse moved across the land, "We are here," the guard said as he demounted the horse and helped Sadiq down before making his way to the door. Sadiq exhaled deeply as the guard knocked on the door before cloaking himself in the darkness of the night waiting in silence.

The door opened slowly to reveal a man within his mid thirties, he looked directly at Sadiq, "What is a young boy such as yourself doing out at this late hour?" he said as he smiled. Sadiq's eyes began to water a little before he moved slightly closer, "I-I'm sorry," Sadiq said under his breath. " I beg your pardon?" the man asked.

Sadiq yelled as he pushed the blade into the man's stomach catching him completely off guard, "I'm...sorry... I'm so...sorry," Sadiq said repeatedly as he cried. The man coughed up blood as he fell against the tanned boy's shoulder, Sadiq held the blade in place until he felt the man take his last breaths.

He proceeded to pull the blade out and let the man's body slide down onto the floor with a sickening thud; Sadiq dropped the blade and moved away from the door slightly before collapsing to his knees and staring on in awe at what he had just done, with his own two hands. The guard helped him to the horse, returned to the body to place it back inside of the home and then mounted the horse himself and began the trip back to the hookah lounge.

After all was said and done, Sadiq ended up delving deeper into the life of a criminal as he continued to take on more assignments. He was taught how to defend himself and how to survive in the underground world he was now affiliated with. With age, Sadiq grew stronger and wiser, honing his skills so that he would be able to defend himself against those who wanted him gone for his past transgressions.

One year now remained left in that of the 19th century and Sadiq was now one of the most prominent men in the assassin world, killing more than seventeen people from the time he was taken under the wing of the men who had helped him carry out murder, leading up until only a short while ago.

While not wrapped up in obligations to different customers, Sadiq spent his time in his chambers, thinking back to a time when he had no troubles, back to a time when his hands were clean and not stained with the blood of others.

His days were spent hiding his face so that he would not be noticed, if others found out who he was, he would surely face execution. His nights were worse, he waited for retaliation from those who wanted retribution for the men he had killed.

Sadiq had a plan, he had been waiting for years to be able to do this, he had allowed his money to grow whenever he was rewarded for his work. Within the last week, he had readied his things to leave his town, to leave his country, vowing never to return again for fear that he would most likely meet his end there.

One night, just as the moon was at it's highest point in the sky, Sadiq set off towards a new life, one where he could live in peace. After a long voyage on the seas he arrived in Japan, took up small jobs, and eventually ventured into Yoshiwara and came across the Scarlet Peony where he met his new boss.

Over the years, he spent his time watching over the men of the establishment as they came and went, enjoying how tranquil his new life was, where no one would know his identity and where no one would care to ask.

Days continued to pass and turn into weeks, months and years as Sadiq remained at the brothel, it was as if nothing would ever change. Or so the man thought before he met Kiku that one fateful night when he had been sitting alone in the small room. Sadiq had no intentions of falling for anyone, let alone a male condemned to the life of prostitution.

After Kiku's arrival, something began to change in Sadiq as he silently watched over the small framed male from the distance, he had fallen in love.

When the man known as "Ryota" awoke, the sun's rays were beaming in through his window as he lie under the covers thinking about everything that had occurred in his life. He sighed before making his way out of his room, and down to the bathing chambers to ready himself for another day of work, another day of attempting to hide his want for a delicate male who was so close to him both in day and night, but at the same time so far away.

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><p><strong>Sorry for the delay, I've finally finished Chapter, I wanted it to be really good since I decided to add, yet another twist. This entire chapter revolves around the guard known as "Ryota", I really hope every one enjoys this. <strong>

**Definiton**  
><strong>Yatagan- A type of Ottoman knife used from the mid 16th century to the late 19th century.<strong>  
><strong> And just in case anyone actually follows the characters ages through out the chapter, "Ryota" was born in 1880 and began working in Japan in 1900. In 1912 he is 32 years old. <strong>

**I'll get starated on Chapter 12 soon. Thank you for continuing to read, and as always review. Thank you. Enjoy~**


	12. Chapter 12

The True Beauty Of A Withered Camellia: False Impression  
>The day progressed, and was eventually over as soon as it began; customers flooded in again and with the stream of men brought one in particular, the same blonde haired man who had returned every night for Kiku.<p>

Alfred paid downstairs before proceeding upstairs, down the hallway and through the shoji to find Kiku waiting on the futon for him. "Nice to see you again," Kiku said as he smiled at the blonde. "I missed you so much," Alfred said as he made his way over to the bed.

"How much?" Kiku asked as he turned his head slightly watching as Alfred undid his coat and placed it on the low table to his right. Alfred responded by placing deep kisses against Kiku's soft neck as the small framed male's breath hitched from the sensation.

On the other side of the shoji unbeknownst to the two lovers, Sadiq stood silently with his ear pressed lightly against the paper. His heart felt odd, he hadn't had a feeling like that since he was a boy; but this time, it was because of his envy.

Sadiq moved away from the door and made his way down the hallway slowly, as he made his way towards the stairs, he made his way past the small room and stopped in his tracks. He had just remembered something, the night before when he had been listening in on Kiku's story, he had noticed that the small male had taken something out of the chest in the corner of the room.

_I wonder what he is keeping hidden... _Sadiq thought to himself as he let one foot slowly slip into the room. He made his way over to the chest, and reached to undo the metal keeping it shut, he began to look through the items in front of him._ It's just a bunch of clothes...I don't see why he's..._Sadiq began to think to himself before pausing, "What's this?" he said as he folded back one more piece of fabric to reveal a small green book.

He went to pick it up and then stopped for a moment _Maybe I shouldn't... _the man thought to himself; he thought back to last night for a moment, remembering the details he overheard about the relationship that Kiku had with the foreign man who re-appeared almost every night.

Sadiq sighed as he picked up the book, opened it and read the first entry that he had flipped open to. On the page that he had begun reading, Kiku had gone into detail about the feelings he harbored for the American man.

Sadiq's eyes read each word carefully as he made his way slowly but surely through the entire page before turning it. Before he could begin reading again, he heard voices coming from down the hallway, Sadiq stiffened waiting for the sounds to subside as he softly closed the chest and slid the book into his yukata before making his way towards the shoji.

He remained silent until the voices faded as the to males continued down the hallway, Sadiq breathed a sigh of relief as he made his way back to his room quickly placing the small book under his futon and making his way back downstairs to continue his work for the evening.

As the night drew to a close, Kiku said his final good byes after a night of intimacy with the American male before making his way down to the bathing chambers, and from there, up to the small room where he resided with the other men.

Kiku fell asleep as soon as he allowed his head to touch the pillow, he dreamt of Alfred's warm touch, and soft lulling voice as the two kept each other warm in an everlasting embrace. Although Kiku was asleep, his body reacted as if he were awake, becoming flushed and tinted a light pink with blush.

Meanwhile, near the beginning of the hallway in his darkened room, Sadiq lie awake sitting at the table with a small oil lamp skimming through the pages of Kiku's book. Once finished, he placed the book in the small drawer, closed it and made his way over to his futon.

As yet another morning began, the Scarlet Peony was alive with the sounds of the chattering and bustling of men as they made their way around the establishment. They were readying themselves for an outing on the strip.

Sadiq stood just outside of the door as he waited for Kiku and his two friends to emerge from the building, Sadiq let his mind drift off again, he thought back to last night when he was reading through Kiku's book.

All of the things he had read... apparently the foreigner and Kiku had been together for quite sometime, much to his dismay. Although Sadiq had not wanted to admit this, he was hoping that he could be Kiku's one and only, the one he would run to in his time of need. _It looks as if I waited too long_... Sadiq thought to himself.

His thoughts were disrupted when he heard a familiar voice that seemed to be addressing him, "Good morning Ryota. How are you doing today?" Kiku said as he stood in front of the large tanned man. "Hmm? I'm...fine," Sadiq replied as he looked at the small framed male's soft featured face.

"I'm glad to hear that, are you ready for today's outing?" Kiku asked as he looked up at the Turkish man with his dark eyes. Sadiq smiled ever so lightly as he looked off into the distance, trying to avoid Kiku's eyes, he felt a pang of guilt rush through him.

As the day progressed, Sadiq found it increasingly harder to keep his eyes off of the porcelain skinned beauty. When he noticed that Kiku had ventured off into a shop farther down, he took the time to glance around at the shops and the things inside of them, Sadiq stopped in front of a shop window and glanced in to see a small lacquered wooden comb.

_It would look so nice in his hair..._Sadiq thought to himself as he glanced at the comb detailed with a vibrant red and speckled with little white and gold flowers in various spots. Sadiq decided to purchase the item and place it gently in his yukata sleeve as he caught up with the others before heading back to the brothel.

The night began again, Kiku took his leave towards the room upstairs at the end of the hallway with his lover as Sadiq thought to himself as to how he would present the newly bought item as a token of his affection to the dark haired male who he so greatly admired.

After half an hour of thinking, Sadiq finally came up with a strategy, as to how he would go about presenting the comb. He would wait until there were no clients or prostitutes in his way and he would go into the small room that Kiku slept in, place the item gently in between the folds of his futon with a small note that had no more then a short endearing sentence, _To the one I admire, Let this item be a symbol of my admiration for you._

Sadiq smiled lightly as he readied himself for the future events that were to transpire later that evening; hours later, the time came for Sadiq to go through with his plan. He made his way upstairs with present and note in hand as he looked both ways before slowly making his way through the shoji and towards Kiku's futon before placing said items inside one of the futon layers and exiting cautiously.

_Now I have to wait to see what he says... _Sadiq thought to himself as he went back to his duties downstairs. As the last patrons left for the evening, Sadiq felt himself becoming more and more restless, he wanted to see the expression on Kiku's delicate face, he wanted Kiku to be so taken aback by his generosity and true feelings towards Kiku that he would forget all about that other man and let himself be whisked away by Sadiq instead.

Sadiq longed to feel the small framed male's lips touch his own, he could only imagine what wonderful sensations would be brought about by this action. Sadiq began to think of Kiku, his intoxicating scent, his mysterious eyes that seemed to gaze on forever into the vast night sky, his silk like obsidian toned hair that moved so gracefully from every turn of his head.

The way his lips moved ever so gently when ever they opened or closed and pursed when he was unsure of what to say. Soft and pink like the petals that fell from the cherry blossom trees every spring, and just like the spring, Kiku had thawed and warmed his once hardened heart.

He found himself unable to keep his feelings for the other male harbored, tonight would give him the chance to show the small framed male how he felt about him. Sadiq finished closing up the establishment before making his way to his room so that he could wait for the other men to make their way upstairs and fall asleep so he could watch Kiku's reaction once he found the gift and the note.

Minutes passed as Sadiq finally made his way quietly to the middle of the hallway and slowly slid the shoji open just enough to be able to see Kiku awake and conversing with the two other men he usually spent his time with.

"So how was your day so far Francis?" Kiku asked as he began to take out his futon. Francis sighed, "Well it wasn't all that interesting until later this evening when a man came into the brothel, I ended up serving him drinks while he watched Feliciano perform on stage," Francis said.

"Oh really? Well...what did he say to you?" Feliciano asked curiously. "Nothing really, he just sat there mentioning how an American he stayed next to in a hotel had all of the luck. He'd said that his friend ended up taking an interest in one of the men here," Francis said slyly as he looked over in Kiku's direction.

Feliciano smiled as he looked over towards Kiku as well, "W-What is it? Don't give me those looks you two..."Kiku said as he blushed lightly before looking off to the side unknowingly hitting a nerve in the Mediterranean on the opposite side of the shoji.

Kiku went to lift up his futon when he heard a tap on the ground next to him, he looked around him and then down, "What is this?" Kiku asked before peering down to see a small red lacquered comb with small flowers speckled across it's surface. "It's...so beautiful," Kiku said softly as he knelt down to scoop the item up into his hands.

Francis and Feliciano looked on in amazement at the small item, "Where do you think it came from?" Feliciano asked as he moved closer to get a better look. "Maybe this note would reveal that to us?" Francis said as he smiled and handed the note to Kiku. He opened it and read the short sentence before looking back at the comb. Kiku blushed before closing the note again and blushing ever so slightly, "Well?" Francis said. "Hmm?" Kiku replied. "Who is the comb from?" Feliciano asked. "I-It didn't say, but..." Kiku paused for a moment.

Both of the foreign men moved closer, "But?" the two said in unison. Kiku smiled before continuing, "But...I have a feeling I already know who did this..." Kiku said before holding the item close to his chest and smiling.

Sadiq smiled on the other side of the door, waiting ever so patiently for his name to make it's way through those two soft lips on the other side of the shoji.

"It had to of been Alfred," Kiku said. Sadiq's eyes widened slightly as his muscles tensed, _What? _He thought to himself as he continued to listen.

"He must have made his way into the room when I was redressing myself after we..." Kiku stopped himself as he looked down with a rouge blush on his face. "Lucky you, I wish someone would come in here and take me away from my reality...even if only for a few hours," Francis said. 

Kiku ran one of his slender fingers across the smooth comb before placing it gently behind him so that he wouldn't break it when he went to sleep, "I'll wear it tomorrow...then I can thank him," Kiku said as he let himself fall asleep.

Sadiq sat outside on the other side of the shoji going over what had just taken place in his head over and over again, "H-How could he not see?" he asked himself softly as he stood up and made his way back down the hallway.

He entered his room and closed the shoji behind him, and sat down on his futon letting one of his hands run through his hair before letting his head sink into his other hand.

It felt as if his heart had been taken from him and struck by a sharp blade, he had let himself become infatuated with nothing more then a beautiful face and now he looked like a fool. " I've been tricked into thinking someone like him would even consider me to be of any value to him...He would rather be with that bastard then me," Sadiq said sharply as he tightened his hand into a fist.

"Very well...If that is how he wants to live out his remaining time here, so be it..." Sadiq said harshly as he threw Kiku's journal against the wall letting it slide down into the dark corner of the room along with his good intentions toward the small framed male.

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><p><strong>Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry for the delay! I've had so much going on and I haven't had time to get to chapter 12 that much except whenever I had free time. ^_^ (I feel bad now :P ) Well if anyone is still reading, I hope you like the story so far, I'll try to pick up the pace a little more so there's less huge breaks in between the chapters. Well the one thing I can say is there's nowhere to go but up from this chapter, no really! There's still more to come and I think you'll all like it. ^_^<strong>

**Who knows, maybe I'll slip in a little fanservice as a gift again (I won't say who the couple is though (cough cough) FrUk (cough cough) ^_^ **

**Thank you so much for reading (And putting up with my short hiatuses...) And as always review. Thank you again and Enjoy!~**


	13. Chapter 13

The True Beauty Of A Withered Camellia: Change  
>The next day as the sun rose on the land, the atmosphere seemed different inside of the Scarlet Peony, something had changed. Sadiq followed through on the promise he had made to himself last night and shut away his emotions for Kiku completely only to replace them with feelings of bitterness and discontent.<p>

He wanted to make sure that the next time he came into contact with the small framed male, he felt nothing for him. He no longer wanted to involve himself in Kiku's affairs, he told himself that again and again as he made his way downstairs to eat breakfast.

After Sadiq finished his meal, he promptly made his way back upstairs towards his room so that he could wait for further instructions from Mistress Yao on what to do in the time leading up to the opening of the establishment later that evening.

He sat at the small table opposite his futon in silence glancing out of the window every so often taking in the view. As he sat, he began to think back to last night, he heard those tainted words drop from Kiku's lips like poison again and again.

He shook his head trying to get the thought out of his head as he turned to look over in the corner where he had thrown Kiku's journal. _Well I guess if I want nothing to do with him, I could at least put his book back when he's not in the room_...Sadiq thought to himself as he stood up slowly and made his way to the shoji.

He stepped outside of his room and took regular but cautious steps towards the room where Kiku resided. Looking both ways before gently sliding the shoji open to look inside; from what he could see, no one was in the room, "They must all be in the bathing chambers," Sadiq said quietly to himself.

"I guess know is as good a time as any," Sadiq said as he made his way back to his room to retrieve the small book before returning to the other room. He hesitated for a moment before sliding the shoji back open slightly, to his surprise some one had entered the room in the short amount of time that he had left to get the journal that he had secretly taken.

Sadiq quickly placed the book in between his sash around his waist and his yukata as the person spotted him, out of all of the men in the establishment, it had to be the one that had just caused him heartache.

Kiku smiled softly before approaching, "Good morning Ryota," Kiku said as he stopped a few feet away from the Turkish man. Sadiq's face remained stoic as he merely nodded and looked off to the side. Kiku saw this motion, but ignored it thinking that maybe Ryota just wasn't a morning person; the small framed male thought to himself on what to say to the guard.

Before he could speak, he noticed the taller man's eyes fixated on something, he looked into the man's dark eyes before turning his gaze up and then finally realizing what the guard had seen, the small red lacquered comb in his hair.

"Oh, do you like it?" Kiku asked. "Some one very...special gave it to me... I love it so much," Kiku said as he let his fingertips lightly glide across the comb's smooth surface. "Tsubaki, we need you down here to help with something," Feliciano called from downstairs. Kiku nodded, "Well I must leave you now, I hear someone calling for me...have a nice day," Kiku said as he smiled and made his way downstairs.  
>Sadiq slightly cut his eyes to the side as he watched the small male's body disappear out of his peripheral. He gripped the book tightly as he stood his ground in the hallway trying to decide on what he should do. After a few moments, Sadiq retreated back into his own room with the book still in hand, "Maybe I could keep it just for a little while," Sadiq said as he placed it on the side of his table before exiting the room to start his day of work.<p>

Kiku's day differed greatly from that of Sadiq's, he felt nothing but happiness and longing for the blonde haired male to return to him once again. He readied himself so that his lover would be taken aback by his looks that night in particular, as they wouldn't see each other in the upcoming week due to the celebrations leading up to the new year and the events taking place afterward.

The time began to disappear as the sun was slowly hidden behind a veil of darkened clouds as early evening approached. The establishment was mere minutes away from opening, Kiku noticed this and made his way back upstairs towards the room at the end of the hallway so that he could wait for his beloved.

The time finally came, patrons could be heard making their way in from the cold as they were greeted by painted up men at the front of the brothel. Kiku smiled to himself knowing that Alfred would be making his way inside very shortly; he looked out of the lattice window to see if he would be able to spot the foreign man.

He looked around for a moment before taking his seat on the futon,_ Look at how anxious he has made me within this past year... _Kiku thought to himself as he smiled. The silence of the room was interrupted by the sound of the shoji being slid open, "Good evening," Alfred said as he entered the room before closing the shoji behind him and making his way over to plant a soft kiss on Kiku's cheek.

Alfred looked closely at Kiku for a moment, "You...look so...beautiful tonight," Alfred said as he embraced Kiku. "So delicate, I'm almost afraid to touch you.." Alfred said jokingly. Kiku looked off to the side with a light blush enveloping is face, "That's...never stopped you before..." Kiku said as he looked back into the American's piercing cyan eyes.

"What's that now? Does that mean you want me to touch you?" Alfred said with a sly smile creasing his lips. Kiku nodded softly before allowing Alfred to undo the front of his kimono and lie his lithe body against the soft fabrics of the futon so that he could immerse the small male in complete pleasure.

While Alfred was upstairs intertwined with his lover, Arthur was downstairs watching yet another performance. Although the stage was set up in the same manner as the last few times he had come inside with Alfred, something was different.

Instead of the small brunette male with tanned skin playing an instrument, there was a more matured looking male with wavy blonde hair and blue eyes. His body seemed more stately and poised then that of his counterpart as his indigo colored kimono draped so smoothly against his skin.

Arthur found himself watching the male perform with the one talent he was so well known for, his art. Each stroke of the paintbrush, watching as the colors intermingled and danced across the surface of the canvas as it began to come to life. It was stunning.

The song being sung by another male went along beautifully with the painting that Francis continued to work on until the final note dropped from the singer's lips. Francis finished and bowed simultaneously with the other male before hearing a small round of applause from those around them.

Arthur found himself slightly attracted to the mysteriousness of the foreign male, he seemed different from the rest, more composed and humble yet at the same time outgoing and different without having to show it so directly.

While Arthur had usually spent his time sitting in his hotel room either reading a nice novel and sipping on tea, he began to find himself becoming more curious about the brothel that his friend Alfred had returned to almost every night.

He had decided that tonight would be then night that he would have some fun for once; Arthur noticed the courtesan approaching him, "Good evening. Is there any of our peonies that catch your fancy?" the courtesan asked slyly as he inhaled from his pipe.

Arthur was quiet for a moment before answering, "Yes," he said. "How much would it be for the blonde performer on stage?" Arthur asked as he looked back towards the Frenchman. "Ah...so you'll be taking Shiori for the evening. I think you'll find this one to be to your liking," the courtesan said as he made his way over to the stage to inform Francis of the new customer he had just received.

Francis looked over at the emerald eyed man before smiling ever so lightly and bowing his head gently, he made his way over to the table where Arthur was sitting. Arthur could feel his heart racing in his chest as the Frenchmen opened his mouth to speak to him.

"Hello, my name is Shiori, I am very pleased to meet you," Francis said as he placed his hand lightly on top of Arthur's. "Shall we make our way upstairs mister..."Francis asked before pausing to let the other blonde fill in the blank. "Kirkland...Arthur Kirkland," the emerald eyed male responded as he followed behind Francis upstairs towards the room where the two would spend the night together.

"Here we are," Francis said as he opened the shoji lightly allowing himself and Arthur to enter before shutting it behind them. Arthur looked around the room, amazed by the detail put into such a small area, the walls were colored a sensual burnt orange with small candles and lanterns throughout.

The aroma of freshly made tea and rose oils filled the room and awakened the British man's senses; Francis broke the silence in the room," Mon cher, you are so quiet," the Frenchman said as he made his way over to the futon covered in a silk burgundy fabric.

"I'm sorry, it's just that..this is a first for me..." Arthur replied as he allowed his head to sink ever so lightly. Francis turned his head, "Your first...time?" the Frenchman asked slightly surprised.

Arthur's eyes widened when he had realized what the blue eyed man thought he had meant, "Oh! N-No, not like that...It's not my _first _time or anything, I've been...intimate before...enough times to know what's what...Oh...well I didn't necessarily mean it like that, I'm not some type of a lustful person or anything...wait that's..." the British man continued on until he felt a slender finger press against his lips, "Non, I understand," Francis said as he smiled at the nervous emerald eyed man sitting across form him.

Arthur looked at Francis for a moment as he smiled lightly, "I'm glad you understand what I'm trying to..." Arthur began to say as he was interrupted by Francis. "It is okay if you are a virgin, let's see if I can make it so that you never forget this night... oui?" Francis said with a seductive look on his face.  
>Arthur quickly spoke, "Look! I'm telling you that I'm not a bloody virgin! I've had some great times in my day! I'll have you know that," Arthur began to say as he was interrupted again, this time by a kiss on the lips.<p>

"Fine...If you are as...experienced as you say you are... then prove it to me. No more talking mon cher," Francis said as he looked into the British man's eyes. Arthur was silent as he complied, he began to kiss Francis' neck starting from the outline of his jaw to his collarbone, retracing his invisible line every so often to get a soft sigh from the blue eyed male.

"Is that all you've got mon cher?" Francis teased as he let his neck fall to the side even more to allow the British man's lips to repeatedly touch it's smooth exterior. Arthur only cut his eyes slightly at Francis as he continued down his neck before stopping and raising his head again to look into the Frenchman's eyes.

"Just be patient..." Arthur said softly as he began to undo the front of Francis' kimono as he exposed the firm body in front of him. Arthur gently put his hands on Francis' shoulders and lied him down slowly against the covers as he began a new trail down the center of the Frenchman's body.

Arthur made sure he took his time, earning soft almost inaudible moans from Francis as he reached this lower region. Arthur smirked as he placed kisses on each side of the blue eyed male's hips, "What do you think about me now?" Arthur asked as lifted his head up to meet the Francis' gaze.

"You are not a virgin, but...you are not as experienced as you could be..." Francis said teasingly. Arthur glared at him for a moment, "Well, it's too bad that you think that...what a shame, I would have been able to take it easy on you," Arthur said as he began to undo his pants.

"Oh? What do you have up your sleeve?" Francis asked as Arthur began stroking is already hardening member. Francis continued to watch Arthur until he was ready, "Now suck.." the British man demanded as he let his palms lie flat against the futon.

Francis stood still for a moment before smiling lightly and complying with the emerald eyed man's command. The Frenchman parted his lips as he began taking Arthur's length into his mouth, slowly savoring the British man's flavor before allowing his tongue to make it's way from the base back to the tip.

As he made his way to Arthur's soft pink tip, he let his tongue swirl around it before flicking it in between the slit and following the vein on the underside of Arthur's member back to the base. Francis jumped slightly as he felt a hand run through his hair and tangle itself with in the wavy blonde locks so that Arthur could make the Frenchman take in even more of him.

Arthur pushed his hips forward as his breath hitched, "You feel so good..." the British man said as he let his head slowly tilt back. Francis continued on for a few more minutes hearing occasional grunts and moans escape from his client's lips. Arthur felt himself go over the edge as his grip tightened in Francis' hair.

Francis looked up after he had finished to see the stern face of the British man, "We're just getting started," he said as a sly smile came across his face. Arthur proceeded to remove his tie as he began pumping Francis' leaking member as he prepared him at the same time.

"How does it feel? Still not as good as you thought?" Arthur asked jokingly as he continued until Francis released himself into the British man's hand. "Monsieur Kirkland...I...I was..wrong," Francis tried to continue as his mouth was filled with Arthur's other hand. "It's too late for that love.." the British man continued as he positioned himself at Francis' entrance and sheathed himself completely inside of him with one thrust. "Ahh!" Francis cried out as he threw his head back form the immediate pleasure that washed over him from the sudden strike to that special bundle of nerves.

"What's that?" Arthur asked as he pushed back into the blue eyes male. "It...feels so...good," Francis said as he tried to put his arms around the British man's neck, "Not so fast, we'll do things my way," Arthur said as he placed the Frenchman's hands above his head and began to slow down and pull himself out. Francis groaned at the lost as he looked into the emerald eyes wanting more.

"What's wrong?" Arthur asked teasingly as he pressed the tip of his member against Francis' entrance; the Frenchman looked at him, his eyes filled with want, "You...stopped..." Francis said as he listened to his shallow breaths escape his own throat, he was surprised, no one had made him feel like this in a while.

"Tell me what you want," Arthur said as he looked down on the wanton man. "You are... a difficult man... Monsieur Kirkland..." Francis said in between pants. "That may be the case, but look at the position you're in...which one of is more in need?" Arthur replied as he began to grind his hips against the man below him.

"Now...what do you want?" Arthur asked again. Francis sighed lightly knowing that he'd have to buckle in order to get the pleasure he so desperately needed. "I...I want...you...Arthur...please.." Francis said .

"I suppose that will have to do," Arthur smiled as he thrust himself back inside of the Frenchman hearing a loud moan in return. "M-Mon dieu..." Francis said as he opened his legs wider to allow Arthur more room to go even farther in.

"So good... harder... please...go harder Monsieur Kirkland," Francis said as Arthur complied and picked up his pace putting every ounce of energy into each thrust as he hit the Frenchman's sweet spot relentlessly.

"I...I can't take much more," Francis said as he felt that familiar feeling in the pit of his stomach. Arthur smirked as he took the tie he had put down next to him earlier and began to wrap it around the Frenchman's member.

"W-What are you doing?" Francis asked as he let his hips buck forward. "I'm not done with you just yet, you'll finish when I say you'll finish..." Arthur said as he continued to thrust inside of Francis. Attempting to draw out his own climax.

Francis felt himself ready to explode but could do nothing but watch the male above him pushing back into him, "So warm... I-I think I'm going to..." Arthur was unable to finish the sentence as he let himself spill inside of Francis' body before pulling out and riding out the rest of his orgasm as he undid the tie around Francis' member watching him do the same.

Once Arthur was able to compose himself he spoke, "Well? What do you think now?" the British man asked as he began gathering his clothing and re-dressing himself before standing and making his way to the door. Francis was silent for a moment before any words came from his mouth, "That was étonnant...just...amazing," Francis replied as the British man smiled lightly. "Well, what can I say?" Arthur said as he left a tip on the top of the chest before exiting the room to leave the establishment for the night.

* * *

><p><strong>Thank you all for your patience, (Seriously though, one computer, plus three people equals I need to eventually invest in a laptop.) :P (I didn't meant to take so long, but I did a long FrUk scene :D So I hope that makes up for the delay, let's just say Arthur turns out to be quite a little sadist through out the whole thing ^_^) I decided to end the story on the FrUk scene. <strong>

**I'll begin work on Chapter 14 sometime this weekend. Hopefully college classes won't slow down the process too much) Thank you for reading and as always, please review. Enjoy~**

**Definitions:**  
><strong>Monsieur: Mister <strong>  
><strong>Oui: Yes (Not like I needed to even do that but...) <strong>  
><strong>Mon Dieu: My god<strong>  
><strong>Etonnant: Amazing<strong>


	14. Chapter 14

The True Beauty Of A Withered Camellia: Bitter Heartache  
>Another night passed as the sun revealed itself to all of those residing inside of the Scarlet Peony's walls. Kiku along with both Francis and Feliciano made their way to the bathing chambers and proceeded to discuss what had happened last night before finishing and moving on to the other room to ready themselves for their outing that day.<p>

It was the last few days before the new year and no customers were being taken in around this short period of time. All of the men would be escorted to the shrine as well as the shops on the way back before they would have to return to their places within the establishment they knew so well.

Kiku felt a sadness in his heart knowing that he would not be able to see his lover for the next few days, but he knew that their reunion would be all the better. He sighed to himself as he finished applying the make up to his small face. He made his way out into the hallway and towards the front of the establishment.

As he went towards the front, he felt his body come in contact with something broad; as he looked up to see what it was, he realized that it was one of the guards. Ryota stood silently there almost as if he hadn't noticed the small male's presence, "I'm terribly sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going," Kiku said as he smiled lightly.

Ryota simply nodded as he walked past Kiku, the small framed male in turn watched him walk away; Kiku's smile faded, "Why has he been acting so odd lately? It's almost as if he's trying to keep things brief with me..I wonder if it's something I said...or maybe did?" Kiku said quietly to himself as he tried to think back to a time where he might have wronged the man.

Kiku simply shrugged as he waited by the entrance for the rest of the men to finish getting ready; after everyone was done they set out with the guards behind them towards the shrine. The day was full of interesting events; Kiku prayed for a way to remain close to his lover Alfred as the others mingled in the distance.

Once he, along with everyone else was done, they made their way back towards the district so that they could set out to look through the different stores before returning. Kiku took the small amount of money he had managed to sneak out with him and approached a store that caught his interest.

There he saw something that looked unique to him, it was a necklace with a small glass vile attached to it, and inside of it the pieces of a white camellia, _Waiting... _Kiku thought to himself as he went gently towards the necklace, took the item into his hand and went to the front of the store with it. "How much for this?" Kiku asked softly, now slightly saddened.

Kiku pulled out the requested amount and handed it to the clerk before taking the item, putting it on the inside of his kimono sleeve and leaving the store. _I knew the time would eventually come..._Kiku thought to himself as he made his way back towards the guards who then led the entire group back into the Scarlet Peony.

Kiku made his way back up the stairs and into the small room before sitting on his futon that he had neglected to put away. He thought back to last night, although the night's events were passionate, they were also filled with sadness.

*******************************************************************************************************************  
>Alfred mentioned returning to America in order to take care of some unfinished business. He would be leaving by the end of the next month; when Kiku heard these words fall from the blonde man's lips, he felt his heart begin to drop as he imagined the void that Alfred would leave.<p>

Alfred began to console him as the small framed male wrapped his arms around the American tightly not wanting to let go for fear that he would slip away. "Why don't you come with?" Alfred asked as he smiled at Kiku. He tapped him playfully, "You know I wouldn't be able to...who knows what would happen to both of us if we were caught?" Kiku said as he moved closer to Alfred.

Alfred merely sighed as he placed his scarf around his neck, stood and made his way to the shoji before shutting it gently behind him. Kiku watched him from the window as he made his way out of the district.

********************************************************************************************************************  
>Kiku shook his head as he let himself come back to the present, "I shouldn't spend our last moments moping like this, when he comes back, I'll make sure that we can be happy for a little longer before he leaves," Kiku said quietly as he let himself dose of into a light slumber.<p>

Meanwhile, the others were downstairs conversing with one another, this left the room where they slept empty with the exception of Kiku. The silence was broken by the sliding of the shoji, Sadiq slowly entered the room and moved towards the chest that was on the other side of the small framed male; as he went to place the small book back inside of the chest, he was once again distracted by the beauty of Kiku.

Sadiq attempted to resist the temptation inside of him but to no avail, he placed the book on the ground and knelt next to Kiku's unmoving frame. _So delicate..._Sadiq thought to himself as he let one hand hover mere inches over the small framed males body before moving up towards his face and ever so gently brushing the black strands of hair off of his face.

His fingertips just barely grazed over Kiku's cheek, Sadiq stood still for a moment until he was sure that Kiku would not awaken. Sadiq smiled down at him ever so lightly, "I only wish you could see how much you mean to me..." Sadiq said quietly under his breath as he felt himself moving closer and closer towards Kiku's lips.

"Kiku..." Sadiq said softly as he let his thumb glide gently over the small framed male's bottom lip, it quivered lightly when Sadiq did that. _So soft..._Sadiq thought as he allowed his lips to finally make contact with Kiku's petal like lips.

When Sadiq did this, he felt time slipping away from him, reality no longer existed, he was living for the moment and enjoying all of it. The sweet nectar that was Kiku drew him in even more, the warm flesh that had only been presented to the blonde man who he gave himself to every night had finally touched _his_lips.

Sadiq slowly opened his eyes before moving away for a moment; only to let his lips come down once again, this time harder than the last. His hand began wandering around Kiku's body as he slept, completely unaware of what was being done to him. Sadiq kissed the small framed male's long slender neck, earning a whimper from Kiku.

Sadiq smiled as he began to apply more pressure to each of the kisses that he placed around Kiku's neck, Kiku began to move slightly unbeknownst to Sadiq who at this point was hovering mere inches away from his body; one large hand on each side of him boxing him in.

Kiku's eyes slowly began to open, he saw only a blurred image of a large figure, "Mmm...Alfred?" Kiku asked curiously. His eyes began to adjust and he immediately froze once he didn't see the familiar locks of golden hair.

His heart sped up as his eyes widened, "W-What are you doing?" Kiku asked. "G-Get off of me..who do you think you.." before Kiku could finish his statement, the man raised his head to reveal his face. "Kiku..." Sadiq said lightly.

"W-Why are you doing this Ryota?" Kiku asked taken aback by the guard's sudden behavior. Kiku's stomach turned inside of him, he had placed his trust in the man who at that very moment was violating him.

"P-Please stop this!" "Ryota...I know you are a good person...you would never do something like this," Kiku said trying to reassure himself. Sadiq stopped for a moment and sat up. "You wouldn't understand my motives," Sadiq said as he held Kiku's frail wrists firmly against the ground. Kiku began to flail and kick underneath the weight of the guard holding him down.

"P-Please just stop! I'll call for one of the others if you don't.." Kiku said trying to coax the larger male into leaving him alone. Sadiq laughed before looking back down into the dark brown eyes of the porcelain skinned male, "Who do you think they'd believe...a guard or a common prostitute?" the room was enveloped in silence after the words fell from the Turkish man's lips.

Kiku was stunned and hurt by his comment, Sadiq thought about the words he had just uttered, "Kiku... I didn't mean..."Sadiq started to say as he was cut off by the small male. "You really are...the worst, I-I can't believe that I...I actually trusted someone like you," Kiku said as a single tear made it's way down his cheek before more began to follow.

Sadiq's sympathy for Kiku suddenly vanished, "Someone like...me?" "How do you think I feel about you?" Sadiq said as he stood and towered over the small framed male. "What is this all of a sudden?" Kiku asked still in complete shock of the guard's behavior towards him. Sadiq ran his fingers through his hair looking completely distraught.

"How unobservant can you be?" Sadiq asked as his eyes pierced Kiku's. "I-I don't understand..." Kiku said as he looked down and away. "But of course," Sadiq said as he glared at the small framed male. "Don't you get it? I've admired you since the first time I saw you Kiku..." "I'm the one whose made sure you've been alright these past few years, I even saved you from those thugs the first time around," Sadiq said while trying to contain his anger.

Sadiq looked up at Kiku's raven black hair and noticed the red lacquered comb, "Even that brush that "Alfred got you"...it was my doing, that note... everything...it was me!" Sadiq said as he let out a frustrated sigh.

"No...I don't believe you... y-you're probably just envious of Alfred..." Kiku said softly underneath his breath. Sadiq was silent for a moment as he looked back towards Kiku, "What did you just say to me?" Sadiq said as he took hold of Kiku's shoulders tightly and shook him. "Ah...p-please Ryota..you're hurting me..."

"Say it again!" Ryota kept his tight grip on Kiku's body. "Please...just go..." Kiku said. "Not until you repeat what you just said!" Sadiq replied as he began to raise his voice. "You're probably...envious of ...Alfred," Kiku said as he looked down, too intimidated to glance directly into the guard's eyes.

"He doesn't deserve you anyways...he's young and foolish...you're wasting your time with a boy like that...he should just go back across the ocean!" Sadiq said harshly as he smirked. Skin could be heard colliding with skin as Kiku slapped Sadiq, the sound echoed throughout the room as fresh tears began to fall from Kiku's eyes.

"Don't you ever talk that way about him! He...he's in love with me and I'm in love with him!" Kiku said as he began to weep softly. "Now please...just...leave this room..." Kiku said softly as he turned his head away from the guard.

Sadiq made his way over towards the shoji before coming to a complete halt, "We could have been happy together but you choose that fool...I hope you are content with you're decision," Sadiq said as he made his way out of the room closing the shoji behind him leaving the room enveloped in complete silence.

Kiku continued to weep until his eyes stung, he began putting his futon away when he noticed his journal lying beside him. With out a thought, he picked it up and placed it gently back into the chest underneath the other things before closing it and making his way downstairs and into the bathing chambers to clean his face.

He did not want to alarm the others, he wanted things to seem as though they had never changed within the last hour. Kiku wanted to feel clean again; he wanted to wash away his sadness so that he could abandon it and move on to a better tomorrow.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry for the long hiatus, I've been getting loaded up on assignments, and when I finally do get free time I'm too tired to do anything. Well I was also trying to figure out a way to end this chapter the way I wanted to so that I could get a nice affect since we're (unfortunately) drawing towards the end of the story. This chapter had alot of drama towards the end. It'll all tie together very nicely because of it. ^_^ <strong>

*** _White camellias in Hanakotoba or "Language of flowers" mean 'Waiting'_ **

**Thank you to all of you who continue to read dispite my hiatus' every so often, I hope you all enjoy the chapter and as always please review, thank you again. Enjoy!~**


	15. Chapter 15

The True Beauty Of A Withered Camellia: Unveiling

Yet another day began at the Scarlet Peony, for the most part, this morning was just like any other except for the silence that enveloped the small room where all of the prostitutes slept. They had long since made their way downstairs and had been moving about and talking amongst one another.

Kiku remained upstairs in the small room, sitting by the all too familiar lattice window sipping his morning cup of tea. He looked down at the pattern displayed on the floor from the sun's rays penetrating through the glass.

He spent his time up there quietly, secretly waiting for his lover to return to him within the next day; the New Year had come and it was time to return to the usual routine at the brothel. Kiku didn't mind this because he knew that Alfred would come to see him and only him, he'd hold him close and embrace him with a passionate kiss that told of his anguish in having to be apart from his one true love.

Kiku blushed at the thought as he finished his tea, stood and made his way to the bathing chamber downstairs. He sighed as he let himself slide into the warm water; he let it wash over him as he closed his eyes and began to let his head tilt back. Before he knew it, he had drifted off into a different world, one of dreams.

It was silent at first, until he heard a familiar voice in the distance; the voice was small at first but it began to grow louder until it sounded as if the person to whom the voice belonged to was only mere feet behind him, and it was so warm and comforting.

The voice spoke again, " Kiku… I love you...I can't wait to see you again," Kiku's eyes widened as he realized who was speaking to him.

"Alfred!" Kiku yelled as he turned and set his eyes directly on the cyan colored ones looking straight back at him. The blonde's arms opened beckoning him inwards for an embrace.

Kiku's eyes lit up as he made his way towards Alfred, but immediately to the dark haired male's dismay; the distance between the two of them began to grow wider everytime Kiku would take another hurried step towards his lover.

"W-Why is this happening? _Why can't I reach him? _Kiku asked himself as he continued to run, the tears beginning to form in his eyes."Please wait! Come back!" Kiku stumbled and fell to the cold hard ground as he saw Alfred vanish infront of his very eyes he extended out a frail hand pleading for the American to wait for him.

He shook violently as his tears fell from his eyes into small pools on the ground below him. Kiku closed his eyes tightly and buried his head in his arms, enveloped in loneliness and want once again.

Everything went dark and seconds later Kiku awoke to the echoes of his heavy breathing as he lie still in the now cooled bath water. He sighed as wiped a single tear from his cheek and proceeded to dry himself off and make his way into the next room to get dressed.

He finished readying himself for what was left of the day before the Scarlet Peony would open to the public. As Kiku made his way into the main room, Francis called out to him, "Kiku, I need some one to come with me to get something from the outdoor market, would you want to go with me?" he asked as he took his blue parasol from the holder.

Kiku nodded as he made his way towards the door, grabbed his pink parasol decorated with small white flowers and stepped into the bustling dirt road. "Where are we headed?" Kiku asked Francis as they walked towards the shops farther back. "Well I was thinking we could celebrate having your American come back," Francis laughed softly as he began to pull out a small silk bag which contained money that he had hidden away from the courtesan.

"What do you say to a nice drink?" Francis said as he sat down in the low to the ground booth. Kiku nodded and sat down across from the blonde, "I suppose it would be okay," Kiku replied as he placed his hands gently on the table.

Francis ordered a tokkuri of Junmai-shu sake and a small platter of gyoza before continuing his conversation with Kiku. He asked him many questions: How long had it been since they met, how had it felt to fall in love along with many other questions.

Kiku answered shyly yet accordingly as he sipped the rich flavored sake from his saucer, he smiled as he caught up with Francis over what he had missed over the past few hours. As the two friends talked, they remained unaware of the trouble that was beginning to unfold back at the Scarlet Peony.  
>********************************************************************************************************************************************************<p>

The courtesan had made a suprise inspection while the prostitutes were engaged in different activities, he had checked to make sure all of the rooms were in pristine condition for the evening.

As the dark haired male checked over the last few rooms, he came across a book in one of the guard's rooms. The courtesan made his way into the room to pick up the book and place it in the drawer when he had caught a glimpse of the first page.

From what the amber eyed male could see; there were entries dating as far back as the late Meiji period. He became enveloped in the journal as he flipped through the different pages gaining more insight on what was infront of him.

He began to close the book and place it inside of the guard's drawer when he suddenly realized things that stuck out, the dates and some of the people. _A client that seemed familiar, a foreigner since the entry mentioned that he was a blonde haired blue eyed male..._the courtesan thought to himself.

There was a small moment of silence before the courtesan's amber eyes widened when he came to the realization that the book that he held in his possession was that of his newest addition to the brothel within the last few years.

"Tsubaki..." _So you've been trying to hide this from me..._the courtesan thought to himself as he closed the book harshly. "No longer will you make a fool of me!" the dark haired male yelled as he placed the book back on the floor where he had found it so as not to alert anyone of his presence.

Now, the biggest secret had been revealed and at that very moment the courtesan began plotting against Kiku and his American lover. Meanwhile, Kiku sat, completely unaware of the events that would soon begin to transpire at the Scarlet Peony.

* * *

><p><strong>Hi! Sorry for the delay, it was one thing after another. My plan was originally to have the story done by the end of 2011 and we all see how that turned out...Anyways, to those of you still following the story after this super long unintended hiatus (Which is really awesome ^^) thank you for reading. The end of the story is coming VERY soon, so I hope you've enjoyed everything so far. Thank you again for reading and Enjoy!~<strong>

**Definitions:**  
><strong>Tokkuri- ceramic flask from which sake is served<strong>  
><strong>Gyoza- dumplings<strong>


	16. Chapter 16

**The True Beauty Of A Withered Camellia: Unraveling  
><strong>Kiku and Francis made their way back to the all too familiar Scarlet Peony as the night approached quickly; customers began to make their way into the brothel as the others readied themselves by putting on their kimonos, doing their hair and putting on their beautiful masks of powder and ink. The sounds were all too familiar, the chatter of customers, clinking of glasses and the soft movements of the delicate "peonies" as they would escort their clients up to the rooms that they have reserved for the entire evening.

Kiku, being uninvolved with the events taking place at that very moment, made his way back to his room before sitting by the lattice window overlooking the district and peered out hoping to see some trace of his lover. Seconds turn to minutes and minutes to hours, Kiku had long since lost hope of Alfred coming to see him that night. He sighed as he let his head lie against the windows he let the memories of when they had first met replay in his mind, he was content.

* * *

><p>Downstairs was a different atmosphere, the music was loud and the people were lively, clients could be seen with the prostitutes; talking with each other, laughing and exchanging suggestive glances as the night went on. In from the street came a familiar Englishman inquiring about the rates for the blue eyed French male he had bedded not so long ago.<p>

He waited at one of the many tables near the wooden stage for his blonde haired beauty to appear before him, shortly after the man's arrival in the brothel, a tall figure with golden strands of cascading hair and a brightly colored silk kimono stood before him. "Donc, nous nous réunissons une fois de plus...Monsieur Kirkland," Francis said warmly as he took hold of the Englishman's hand and escorted him upstairs.

"S-So how have you been holding up..?" the slightly nervous green eyed male asked as he took off his coat and hat before placing them on top of the dresser adjacent to him. Francis turned around slightly to look at the male curiously before moving towards him in an attempt to initiate what was eventually to come.

"Just a minute, if you don't mind…I was wondering if maybe we would be able to converse a bit?" Arthur asked as he stood in the same spot waiting for a reply.

"Hmm? Wanting to speak with a prostitute? What's this all of a sudden?" Francis asked as he arched his brow. "Don't feel as if I'm trying to do something, just for a little while?" the blonde asked again with a look of sincerity in both his voice and eyes. It was silent for a moment, "Well it is your money and time, so I suppose if that is what you want from me…I can't refuse," the Frenchman laughed softly as he led Arthur over towards the small table and had him sit.

"Would you like some tea?" Francis asked as he searched for the kettle. Arthur looked around slightly before replying, "Sure, that would be fine." Francis continued riffling through the trunk that sat parallel against the wall with the detailed red lattice windows. Unable to find the items, Francis quickly remembered something else that he had, "Monsieur Kirkland, how do you feel about wine?" Francis asked as he retrieved a dark red wine from underneath the bottom panel of the trunk.

Arthur stood speechless for a moment as he looked at the blue eyed male, "How in bloody hell were you able to get a bottle of wine that nice into a brothel?" the blonde male asked as he took the glass that Francis had poured for him. "Let's just say I have my ways," the Frenchman replied as he sipped from his glass and sat down gracefully on the floor.

"Now, what is it that you wanted to discuss?" Francis asked as he focused intently on the green eyed male in front of him. "Well it has to deal with one of your friends I suppose," Arthur said as he rubbed the back of his head with his hand. "And who..pray tell might that be…hmm?" Francis said playfully. Arthur thought to himself trying to remember the young male's name but to no avail."Well from what I can remember, my friend comes down to the Scarlet Peony quite often to see him..,a man by the name of Alfred,"replied Arthur as he took a swig of wine.

The long haired man's eyes immediately made contact with the eyes of the man across from him, "Monsieur Jones..oui?" asked Francis. "Yes, exactly," replied the Englishmen before continuing on with the topic at hand. "Now about the dark haired man that Alfred has been seeing?" Arthur asked again. "Kiku is his name," Francis replied. "Why do you want to know his name?" the blue eyed male asked as he poured Arthur and then himself another glass of wine.

"Well, long story short, Alfred wanted me to relay a message to you to give to your friend about Alfreds whereabouts and when he will be returning, he also mentioned that he had something very important to ask Kiku," Arthur said as he took another sip of his wine. Both of the men continued to converse as Arthur told Francis everything that Alfred had mentioned to him only days before as the two sat quietly.

* * *

><p>The night began to grow old as clients left and made their way back out onto the roads and down the strip as Kiku watched from above. "I suppose this is another night where I won't see your face Alfred," the raven haired boy said softly as he let his head rest against the lattice window's frame. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a tall silhouette of a being making his way towards the entrance of the <em>Scarlet Peony.<em>

He peered out of the window slightly trying to get a better look at the man, from what he could tell, the man was undoubtedly a foreigner. _Another American…or maybe a European?_Kiku thought to himself as he watched the man converse with another man outside of the brothel shortly before entering.

The brown eyed male dismissed it and focused his attention back towards looking for his misplaced journal, "It couldn't have vanished into thin air.."Kiku said as he made his way closer to the shoji. _I could try checking through the brothel..but what if someone sees me..?_ Kiku thought to himself as he shut the screen behind him softly.

"It couldn't hurt.." Kiku said softly as he quietly made his way through the narrow hallway looking at the bottom sections of each screen for signs of movement before opening the doors and quickly glancing around the room for the journal. Minutes passed as Kiku began to lose faith and suspect that he would never come across his most precious possession again. As he made his way to the final room. he stiffened when he realized whose room he was standing in front of, "Ryota," Kiku uttered quietly under his breath.

Once again he slid open the shoji in front of him ever so delicately before allowing himself to slip into the guard's room. He looked around trying his best to see through the darkened space; he stepped forward only to feel something underneath his foot. He looked down and squinted to make out the object, Kiku let his small hand graze over the object before taking a hold of it. _It feels like my…journal!_ Kiku thought to himself as he held it close to his small frame. Kiku quickly slid the book on the inner part of his obi before making his way hastily yet as quietly as possible from the guard's room and back to his own_._

He shut the shoji quietly and turned around re assuredly only to be startled by the sight of both the amber eyed courtesan and the mysterious foreigner he had seen only minutes before from the window. Kiku stood frozen in front of them as the courtesan's eyes pierced the small framed male's. The silence was eventually broken, "Have you no manners? You have a guest in front of you…act accordingly," the courtesan remarked.

"I-I am sorry Mistress Yao," Kiku replied apologetically before bowing slightly and greeting the stranger before him. Kiku peered up at the foreigner to take in the man's appearance and was at first taken aback by his stunning features. The man looked even taller up close then he did from afar, he had pale flawless skin almost as white as snow and eyes that harbored a tinge of violet. His hair was one of the most noticeable features of all; it was such a delicate blonde color most likely the lightest variation he had ever seen.

When he spoke, he spoke with a thick and somewhat intimidating accent one that sent a small chill through the small male's spine as he continued to make eye contact with him. "This is a new client of ours and I've chosen you Tsubaki…do not disappoint him," the courtesan said with an almost bitter tone. "C-Client?..But Mistress Y," Kiku tr started before being cut off by the fiery courtesan.

"Yes? Is there something you wish to tell me Tsubaki? Might there be a reason why you've decided to go against my orders?" the amber eyes male asked sternly as he paused waiting for an answer. Kiku was silent for a moment before he shook his head and replied, "N-No Mistress Yao..I apologize for my insolence."

"Good…now I'll leave you to your duties," the courtesan said as he made his way towards the shoji and left the delicate male in awe of what had just occurred. "Let's see how you'll manage this time Tsubaki.." the amber eyed male uttered softly as he returned downstairs letting a sly smirk run across his lips.

Inside of the room, the silence was finally broken as the stranger spoke again, "I apologize for the late introduction…my name is Ivan."

* * *

><p><strong>Hello again! After a long break I've finally started writing more for "The True Beauty Of A Withered Camellia" I hope its to your liking ^^ <strong>

**Things are starting to get a little more serious for our main character as we start to move towards the end of the story. **

**Translations:**  
><strong>Donc, nous nous réunissons une fois de plus: So we meet again<strong>  
><strong>Monsieur: Mister<strong>

**Sorry again for the long hiatus, I'm glad to continue writing :3 Enjoy and as always thank you for reading!**  
><strong>PS (Don't forget to review) ;)<strong>

***And just a heads up lol the writing in between the two thin grey lines is a different setting (since I ended up not using the usual asterisks to make it as noticeable) :)**


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